THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


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A  LIST  OF  THE  ELSIE  BOOKS  AND 
OTHER  POPULAR  BOOKS 

BY 

MARTHA   FINLEY 


"ELSIE  DINSMORE. 

ELSIE'S  HOLIDAYS  AT  ROSELANDS. 
ELSIE'S  GIRLHOOD. 

ELSIE'S  WOMANHOOD. 
ELSIE'S  MOTHERHOOD. 

ELSIE'S  CHILDREN. 
ELSIE'S  WIDOWHOOD. 
GRANDMOTHER  ELSIE. 

ELSIE'S  NEW  RELATIONS. 
ELSIE  AT  NANTUCKET. 
THE  TWO  ELSIES. 

ELSIE'S  KITH  AND  KIN. 
ELSIE'S  FRIENDS  AT  WOODBURN. 
CHRISTMAS  WITH  GRANDMA  ELSIE. 
ELSIE  AND  THE  RAYMONDS. 
ELSIE  YACHTING  WITH  THE  RAYMONDS, 
ELSIE'S  VACATION. 
*ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 
ELSIE  AT  ION. 

ELSIE  AT  THE  WORLD'S  FAIR. 
ELSIE'S  JOURNEY  ON  INLAND  WATERS. 
ELSIE  AT  HOME. 
ELSIE  ON  THE  HUDSON. 
ELSIE  IN  THE  SOUTH. 
ELSIE'S  YOUNG  FOLKS. 
ELSIE'S  WINTER  TRIP. 
ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES. 


MILDRED  KEITH. 

MILDRED  AT  ROSELANDS. 
MILDRED'S  MARRIED  LIFE. 
MILDRED  AND  ELSIE. 
MILDRED  AT  HOME. 

MILDRED'S  BOYS  AND  GIRLS. 
MILDRED'S  NEW  DAUGHTER. 


CASELLA. 

SIGNING  THE  CONTRACT  AND  WHAT  IT  COST 
THE  TRAGEDY  OF  WILD  RIVER  VALLEY. 
OUR  FRED. 

'AN  OLD-FASHIONED  BOY. 
WANTED,  A  PEDIGREE. 

THE  THORN  IN  THE  NEST. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE 


BY 

MARTHA  FINLEY 


NEW  YORK 

DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  18(6. 
DODD,  MEAD  &  COMPANY, 

jUi  right*  rttervta. 


PS 

11* 

F 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IT  was  a  beautiful  evening  at  Viamede :  the 
sun  nearing  its  setting,  shadows  sleeping  here 
and  there  upon  the  velvety  flower-bespangled 
lawn,  and  filling  the  air  with  their  delicious 
perfume,  the  waters  of  the  bayou  beyond  re 
flecting  the  roseate  hues  of  the  sunset  clouds, 
and  the  song  of  some  negro  oarsmen,  in  a  pass 
ing  boat,  coming  to  the  ear  in  pleasantly  mel 
lowed  tones.  Tea  was  over,  and  the  family  had 
all  gathered  upon  the  veranda  overlooking  the 
bayou.  A  momentary  silence  was  broken  by 
Rosie's  pleasant  voice : 

"  Mamma,  I  wish  you  or  grandpa,  or  the  cap 
tain,  would  tell  the  story  of  Jackson's  defence 
of  New  Orleans.  Now  while  we  are  in  the 
neighborhood  we  would  all,  I  feel  sure,  find  it 
very  interesting.  I  think  you  have  been  going 
over  Lossing's  account  of  it,  mamma,"  she 
added  laughingly,  "for  I  found  his  'Pictorial 
History  of  the  War  of  1812'  lying  on  the  table 
in  your  room,  with  a  mark  in  at  that  part." 


55S179 


2  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

*'  Yes,  I  had  been  refreshing  my  memory  in 
thai  way,"  returned  her  mother,  smiling  pleas 
ant1  y  into  the  dark  eyes  gazing  so  fondly  and 
entreatingly  into  hers.  "And,"  she  added,  "I 
have  no  objection  to  granting  your  request,  ex 
cept  that  I  do  not  doubt  that  either  your  grand 
father  or  the  captain  could  do  greater  justice  to 
the  subject  than  I,"  glancing  inquiringly  from 
one  to  the  other. 

"Captain,   I  move  that  you    undertake  the 
task,"  said  Mr.  Dinsmore.     "  You  are,  no  doubt,** 
better  prepared  to  do  it  justice  than  I,  and  I 
would  not  have  my  daughter  fatigued  with  the 
telling  of  so  long  a  story." 

"Always  so  kindly  careful  of  me,  my  dear 
father,"  remarked  Mrs.  Travilla  in  a  softly 
spoken  aside. 

"  I  am  doubtful  of  my  better  preparation  for 
the  telling  of  the  story,  sir,"  returned  the 
captain  in  his  pleasant  tones,  "  but  if  both  you 
and  mother  are  disinclined  for  the  exertion  I 
am  willing  to  undertake  the  task." 

"Yes,  do,  captain;  do,  papa,"  came  in  eager 
tones  from  several  young  voices,  and  lifting 
baby  Ned  to  one  knee,  Elsie  to  the  other,  while 
the  rest  of  the  young  members  of  the  household 
grouped  themselves  about  him,  he  began  his 
story  after  a  slight  pause  to  collect  his  thoughts. 

"  You  all,  I  think,  have  more  or  less  knowledge 
of  the  War  of  1812-14,  which  finished  the  work 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  3 

of  separation  from  the  mother  country  so  nearly 
accomplished  by  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 
Upon  the  close  of  that  earlier  contest,  England, 
it  is  true,  acknowledged  our  independence,  but 
evidently  retained  a  hope  of  finally  recovering 
her  control  here. 

"All  through  the  intervening  years,  our  sailors 
on  our  merchant  vessels,  and  even,  in  some  in 
stances,  those  belonging  to  our  navy,  were  sub 
jected  -to  insults  and  oppression  when  met  on 
the  high  seas  by  the  more  powerful  ones  of  the 
English.  The  conduct  of  British  officers — 
claiming  the  right  to  search  our  vessels  for  de 
serters  from  theirs,  and  often  seizing  American 
born  men  as  such — was  most  gallingly  insulting ; 
the  wrongs  thus  inflicted  upon  our  poor  seamen 
were  enough  to  rouse  the  anger  and  indignation 
of  the  meekest  of  men.  The  clearest  proofs  of 
citizenship  availed  nothing ;  they  were  seized, 
carried  forcibly  aboard  the  British  ships,  and, 
if  they  refused  to  serve  their  captors,  were 
brutally  flogged  again  and  again. 

"  But  I  will  not  go  into  details  with  which  you 
are  all  more  or  less  acquainted.  We  did  not 
lack  abundant  cause  for  exasperation,  and  at 
length,  though  ill  prepared  for  the  struggle,  our 
government  declared  war  against  Great  Britain. 

"  That  war  had  lasted  two  years ;  both  parties 
were  weary  of  the  struggle,  and  negotiations 
for  peace  were  being  carried  on  in  Europe.  In 


4  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

fact  the  treaty  had  been  signed,  December 
24,  in  the  city  of  Ghent,  Belgium,  but  news 
did  not  travel  in  those  days  nearly  so  fast  as  it 
does  now,  and  so  it  happened  that  the  battle 
of  New  Orleans  was  fought  two  weeks  after 
ward,  January  8,  1815,  both  armies  being 
still  in  ignorance  of  the  conclusion  of  peace." 

"  What  a  pity !"  exclaimed  Grace. 

"And  Andrew  Jackson  was  the  commanding 
general?"  remarked  Walter  in  a  tone  between 
inquiry  and  assertion.  "  Was  he  an  American 
by  birth,  Brother  Levis?" 

"  Yes ;  his  parents  were  from  Ireland,  but  he 
was  born  on  the  border  between  North  and 
South  Carolina,  in  1767;  so  that  he  was  old 
enough  to  remember  some  of  the  occurrences  of 
the  Revolutionary  War;  one  of  them  being  him 
self  carried  to  Camden,  South  Carolina,  as  a 
prisoner,  and  there  nearly  starved  to  death  and 
brutally  treated  by  a  British  officer;  cut  with  a 
sword  because  he  refused  to  black  his  boots 
for  him." 

"  Was  that  so,  sir?"  queried  Walter.  "  Well, 
I  shouldn't  wonder  iY  the  recollection  of  all  that 
made  him  more  ready  to  fight  them  in  the  next 
war,  particularly  at  New  Orleans,  than  he  would 
have  been  otherwise." 

"  No  doubt,"  returned  the  captain.  "  Jackson 
was  a  man  of  great  energy,  determination,  and 
persistence.  It  is  said  his  maxim  was,  'till  all 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  5 

is  done  nothing  is  done.'  In  May  of  1814  he 
was  made  a  major-general  in  the  regular  army 
and  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Depart 
ment  of  the  South,  the  Seventh  Military  Dis 
trict,  with  his  headquarters  at  Mobile,  of  which 
the  Americans  had  taken  possession  as  early  as 
April,  1812. 

"Jackson's  vigilance  was  sleepless.  The 
Spanish  had  possession  of  Pensacola,  and, 
though  professing  neutrality,  were  secretly  fa 
voring  the  British.  Of  this  Jackson  promptly 
informed  our  government,  but  at  that  time  our 
War  Department  was  strangely  apathetic,  and 
his  communication  was  not  responded  to  in  any 
way. 

"But  he  had  trusty  spies,  both  white  and 
dark-skinned,  everywhere,  who  kept  him  in 
formed  of  all  that  was  taking  place  in  the  whole 
region  around.  He  knew  that  British  marines 
were  allowed  to  land  and  encamp  on  shore ;  that 
Edward  Nichols,  their  commander,  was  a  guest 
of  the  Spanish  governor,  and  the  British  flag 
was  unfurled  over  one  of  the  forts.  Also,  that 
Indians  were  invited  to  enroll  themselves  in  the 
service  of  the  British  crown,  and  that  Nichols 
had  sent  out  a  general  order  to  his  soldiers,  and 
a  proclamation  to  the  people  of  Kentucky  and 
Louisiana,  announcing  that  the  land  and  naval 
forces  at  Pensacola  were  only  the  van  of  a  far 
larger  number  of  vessels  and  troops  which 


6  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

were  intended  for  the  subjugation  of  Louisiana 
and  especially  the  city  of  New  Orleans. 

"Jackson  arrived  in  that  city  on  the  2d  of 
December,  and  prepared  to  defend  it  from 
the  British,  whom  he  had  driven  out  of  Florida. 
They  had  planned  to  take  the  lower  Mississippi 
Valley,  intending  to  keep  possession  of  the  wes 
tern  bank  of  the  river.  They  had  among  them 
some  of  the  finest  of  Wellington's  troops,  who, 
but  a  short  time  before,  had  been  engaged  in 
driving  Napoleon  out  of  Europe. 

"In  December,  12,000  men  under  the  com 
mand  of  Sir  Edward  Packenham,  brother-in-law 
of  Wellington,  were  landed  below  New  Orleans. 
They  had  come  from  Jamaica  across  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  Their  expedition  was  a  secret  one,  and 
they  approached  New  Orleans  midway  between 
Mobile  Bay  and  the  Mississippi  River,  entering 
Lake  Borgne  and  anchoring  there. 

"A  small  American  navy,  composed  of  five 
gunboats,  opposed  their  progress,  but  was  soon 
dispersed  by  their  superior  force  of  fifty  vessels, 
large  and  small.  Then  the  British  took  full  pos 
session  of  the  lake,  and  landed  troops  upon  a 
lonely  island  called  the  Isle  des  Pois  (or  Pea 
Island) . 

"Some  Spaniards,  who  had  formerly  lived  in 
New  Orleans,  told  Cochrane  of  Bayou  Bienvenu, 
at  the  northwestern  extremity  of  Lake  Borgne, 
by  which  he  could  nearly  reach  the  city,  the 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  7 

bayou  being  navigable  for  large  barges  to  with 
in  a  few  miles  of  the  Mississippi  River. 

"A  party  was  sent  to  explore  it,  and  found 
that  by  following  it  and  a  canal  they  would 
reach  a  spot  but  half  a  mile  from  the  river  and 
nine  miles  below  the  city. 

"They  hurried  back  to  Cochrane  with  a  report 
to  that  effect,  and  by  the  23d  of  December  half 
of  the  army  had  reached  the  spot. 

"A  few  months  before — September  1st — the 
British  sloop  of  war  Sophia,  commanded  by 
Captain  Lockyer,  had  sailed  from  Pensacola 
witn  despatches  for  Jean  Lafitte,  inviting  him 
and  his  band  to  enter  the  British  service." 

"Lafitte!  Who  was  he,  Brother  Levis?" 
queried  Walter. 

"A  Frenchman,"  replied  the  captain,  "who, 
with  his  elder  brother,  Pierre,  had  come  to 
New  Orleans  some  six  years  before.  They 
were  blacksmiths,  and  for  a  time  worked  at  their 
trade;  but  afterward  they  engaged  in  smug 
gling,  and  were  leaders  of  a  band  of  corsairs, 
seizing,  it  was  said,  merchantmen  of  different 
nations,  even  some  belonging  to  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  and  for  that  they  were  outlawed, 
though  there  was  some  doubt  that  they  were 
really  guilty.  But  they  carried  on  a  contraband 
trade  with  some  of  the  citizens  of  Louisiana, 
smuggling  their  wares  into  New  Orleans 
through  Bayou  Teche,  or  Bayou  Lafourche  and 


8  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

Barataria  Lake.  That  had  brought  them  into 
trouble  with  the  United  States  authorities,  and 
the  British  thought  to  get  the  help  of  the  buc 
caneers  in  their  intended  attack  upon  the  city, 
where  Pierre  Lafitte  was  at  that  time  a  pris 
oner. 

"  Captain  Lockyer  carried  to  Jean  a  letter 
from  Colonel  Nichols  offering  him  a  captain's 
commission  in  the  British  Navy  and  $30,000, 
and  to  his  followers  exemption  from  punish 
ment  for  past  deeds,  indemnification  for  a.ny 
losses,  and  rewards  in  money  and  lands,  if  tney 
would  go  into  the  service  of  England's  king. 

"Lockyer  also  brought  another  paper,  in 
which  they  were  threatened  with  extermination 
if  they  refused  the  oJffers  in  the  first." 

"Were  they  frightened  and  bribed  into  doing 
what  the  British  wished,  sir?"  asked  Walter. 

"No,"  replied  the  captain;  "they  seized  Cap 
tain  Lockyer  and  his  officers,  and  threatened 
to  carry  them  to  New  Orleans  as  prisoners  of 
war;  but  Lafitte  persuaded  them  to  give  that 
up,  and  they  released  the  officers.  Lafitte  pre 
tended  to  treat  with  them,  asking  them  to  come 
back  for  his  reply  in  ten  days,  and  they  were 
permitted  to  depart. 

"After  they  had  gone,  he  wrote  to  a  member 
of  the  legislature  telling  of  the  visit  of  the 
British  officers,  what  they  had  said  to  him  and 
his  men,  and  sending  with  his  letter  the  papers 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  9 

Captain  Lockyer  had  left  with  him.  He  also 
offered  his  own  and  his  men's  services  in  defence 
of  the  city,  on  condition  that  past  offences 
should  never  be  brought  up  against  them. 

"Troops  were  badly  needed  in  the  American 
army,  and  Governor  Claiborne  was  inclined  to 
accept  Lafitte's  offer;  but  the  majority  of  his 
officers  were  opposed  to  so  doing,  thinking  the 
papers  sent  were  forgeries,  and  the  story  made 
up  to  prevent  the  destruction  of  the  colony  of 
outlaws,  against  whom  an  expedition  was  then 
fitting  out.  Lafitte  knew  of  the  preparations, 
but  supposed  they  were  for  an  attack  upon  the 
British.  They,  the  members  of  the  expedition, 
made  a  sudden  descent  upon  Barataria,  captured 
a  large  number  of  Lafitte's  men,  and  carried 
them  and  a  rich  booty  to  New  Orleans. 

"Some  of  the  Baratarians  escaped,  Jean  and 
Pierre  Lafitte  among  them.  They  soon  collected 
their  men  again  near  the  mouth  of  Bayou  La- 
fourche,  and  after  General  Jackson  took  com 
mand  in  New  Orleans,  again  offered  their  ser 
vices,  which  Jackson  accepted,  sending  a  part  to 
man  the  redoubts  on  the  river,  and  forming  of 
the  rest  a  corps  which  served  the  batteries  with 
great  skill. 

"In  his  letter  at  the  time  of  sending  informa 
tion  with  regard  to  the  attempt  of  the  British 
to  bribe  him  to  enter  their  service,  Jean  Lafitte 
said:  'Though  proscribed  in  my  adopted  coun- 


10  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

try,  I  will  never  miss  an  occasion  of  serving  her, 
or  of  proving  that  she  has  never  ceased  to  be 
dear  to  me.'  " 

"There!"  exclaimed  Lulu  with  enthusiasm, 
"I  don't  believe  he  was  such  a  very  bad  man, 
after  all." 

"Nor  do  I,"  her  father  said  with  a  slight 
smile :  then  went  on  with  his  story. 

"Early  on  the  15th  of  December,  Jackson, 
hearing  of  the  capture  of  the  gunboats,  imme 
diately  set  to  work  to  fortify  the  city  and  make 
every  possible  preparation  to  repulse  the  expected 
attack  of  the  enemy.  He  sent  word  to  General 
Winchester,  in  command  at  Mobile,  to  be  on 
the  alert,  and  messengers  to  Generals  Thomas 
and  Coffee  urging  them  to  hasten  with  their 
commands  to  assist  in  the  defence  of  the  city. 

"  Then  he  appointed,  for  the  18th,  a  grand  re 
view  of  all  the  troops  in  front  of  the  Cathedral 
of  St.  Louis,  in  what  is  now  Jackson  Square, 
but  at  that  time  was  called  Place  d'Armes. 

"All  the  people  turned  out  to  see  the  review. 
The  danger  was  great,  the  military  force  with 
which  to  meet  the  foe  small  and  weak,  but 
Jackson  made  a  stirring  address,  and  his  aide, 
Edward  Livingston,  read  a  thrilling  and  eloquent 
one. 

"They  were  successful  in  rousing  botb  troops 
and  populace  to  an  intense  enthusiasm,  taking 
advantage  of  which,  Jackson  declared 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  11 

hw  and  a  suspension  of  the  writ  of  habeas  cor 
pus." 

"What  is  that,  papa?"  asked  Grace. 

"It  is  a  writ  which  in  ordinary  times  may  be 
given  by  a  judge  to  have  a  prisoner  brought 
before  him  that  he  may  inquire  into  the  cause 
of  his  detention  and  have  him  released  if  unlaw 
fully  detained.  It  is  a  most  important  safe 
guard  to  liberty,  inherited  by  us  from  our  Eng 
lish  ancestors." 

"  Then  what  right  had  Jackson  to  suspend  it, 
sir?"  queried  Walter. 

"A  right  given  by  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States,  in  which  there  is  an  express  pro 
vision  that  it  may  be  suspended  in  cases  of  re 
bellion  or  invasion,  should  the  public  safety 
demand  it,"  replied  the  captain:  then  resumed 
his  narrative. 

"After  the  review,  Jean  Lafitte  again  offered 
his  own  services  and  those  of  his  men,  urging 
their  acceptance,  and  they  were  mustered  "into 
the  ranks  and  appointed  to  important  duty. 

"  Jackson  showed  himself  sleeplessly  vigilant 
and  wonderfully  active,  making  every  possible 
preparation  to  meet  and  repulse  every  coming 
foe. 

^"On  the  evening  of  the  23d,  the  schooner 
Carolina,  one  of  the  two  armed  American  ves 
sels  in  the  river,  moved  down  and  anchored 
within  musket  shot  of  the  centre  of  the  British 


12  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

camp.  Half  an  hour  later  she  opened  a  tremen 
dous  fire  upon  them  from  her  batteries,  and  ii 
ten  minutes  had  killed  or  wounded  a  hundreo 
or  more  men.  The  British  answered  with  j 
shower  of  Congreve  rockets  and  bullets,  bu 
with  little  or  no  effect,  and  in  less  than  half  ai 
hour  were  driven  in  confusion  from  their  camp. 

"They  had  scarcely  recovered  from  that  whei 
they  were  startled  by  the  sound  of  musketry  ii 
the  direction  of  their  outposts.  Some  prisoner; 
whom  General  Keane  had  taken  told  him  then 
were  more  than  12,000  troops  in  New  Orleans, 
and  he  now  felt  convinced  that  such  was  th* 
fact.  He  gave  Thornton  full  liberty  to  do  as  h( 
would. 

"  Thornton  moved  forward  and  was  presently 
met  by  a  column  under  Jackson.  There  was 
some  fierce  fighting,  and  at  length  the  British  fel 
sullenly  back.  About  half  past  nine  the  fighting 
was  over;  but  two  hours  later,  when  all  was  be 
coming  quiet  in  the  camp,  musket  firing  was  heard 
in  the  distance.  Some  drafted  militia,  undei 
General  David  Morgan,  had  heard  the  firing 
upon  the  Carolina  early  in  the  evening,  insisted 
upon  being  led  against  the  enemy,  and  on  theii 
way  had  met  some  British  pickets  at  Jumons- 
ville  and  exchanged  shots  with  them.  Bj 
that  advance  against  the  foe,  Jackson  had  saved 
New  Orleans  for  the  time,  and  now  he  set  vigor 
ously  to  work  to  prepare  for  another  attack,  foi 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  13 

be  knew  there  would  be  another.  Also,  that  th« 
men  who  were  to  make  it  were  fresh  from  the 
battlefields  of  Europe — veteran  troops  not 
likely  to  be  easily  conquered  or  driven  away. 
He  omitted  nothing  which  it  was  in  his  power 
to  do  for  the  defence  of  the  city,  setting  his 
soldiers  to  casting  up  intrenchments  along  the 
line  of  the  canal  from  the  river  to  Cypress 
Swamp.  They  were  in  excellent  spirits,  and 
plied  their  spades  with  such  energy  and  zeal 
that  by  sunset  a  breastwork  three  feet  high 
might  be  seen  along  the  whole  line  of  his  army. 

"  The  American  troops  were  quite  hilarious  on 
that  Christmas  eve,  the  British  soldiers  gloomy 
and  disheartened,  having  lost  confidence  in  their 
commander,  Keane,  and  finding  themselves 
on  wet  ground,  under  a  clouded  sky,  and  in  a 
chilly  atmosphere;  but  the  sudden  arrival  of 
their  new  commander,  Sir  Edward  Packenham, 
in  whose  skill  and  bravery  they  had  great  con 
fidence,  filled  them  with  joy. 

"  But  while  the  Americans  were  at  work  pre 
paring  for  the  coming  conflict,  the  foe  were  not 
idle;  day  and  night  they  were  busy  getting 
ready  a  heavy  battery  with  which  to  attack  the 
Carolina.  On  the  morning  of  the  27th,  they 
had  it  finished,  began  firing  hot  shot  upon  her 
from  a  howitzer  and  several  twelve  and  eighteen 
pounders,  and  soon  succeeded  in  setting  her  on 
fire,  so  that  she  blew  up. 


14  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"It  was  a  tremendous  explosion,  but  fortu 
nately  her  crew  had  abandoned  her  in  time  to 
escape  it.  The  Louisiana,  who  had  come  down 
to  her  aid,  was  near  sharing  her  fate,  but,  by- 
great  exertion  on  the  part  of  her  crew,  she  was 
towed  out  of  reach  of  the  enemy's  shot,  anchored 
nearly  abreast  of  the  American  camp,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river,  and  so  saved  to  take  a 
gallant  part  in  the  next  day's  fight.  Packenham 
next  ordered  his  men  to  move  forward  and  carry 
the  intrenchments  of  the  Americans  by  storm. 
They  numbered  8000,  and  toward  evening  the 
two  columns,  commanded  respectively  by  Gen 
erals  Gibbs  and  Keane,  obeyed  that  order,  mov 
ing  forward,  driving  in  the  American  pickets 
and  outposts,  and  at  twilight  they  encamped, 
some  of  them  seeking  repose  while  others  began 
raising  batteries  near  the  river. 

"The  Americans,  however,  kept  them  awake 
by  quick,  sharp  attacks,  which  the  British  called 
'barbarian  warfare.'  " 

"Barbarian  warfare,  indeed!"  sniffed 
Walter.  "I  wonder  if  it  was  half  so  barbarous 
as  what  they  employed  the  Indians  to  do  to  our 
people." 

"Ah,  but  you  must  remember  that  it  makes  a 
vast  difference  who  does  what,  Walter,"  laughed 
Rosie. 

"Oh,  yes,  of  course,"  returned  the  lad;  and 
Captain  Raymond  went  on  with  his  story. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  15 

"Jackson  was  busy  getting  ready  to  receive 
the  enemy :  watching  their  movements  through 
a  telescope,  planting  heavy  guns,  blowing  up 
some  buildings  that  would  have  interfered  with 
the  sweep  of  his  artillery,  and  calling  some 
Louisiana  militia  from  the  rear.  By  the  time 
the  British  were  ready  to  attack,  he  had  4000 
men  and  twenty  pieces  of  artillery  ready  to  re 
ceive  them.  Also  the  Louisiana  was  in  a  posi 
tion]  to  use  her  cannon  with  effect  in  giving 
them  a  warm  reception. 

"As  soon  as  the  fog  of  early  morning  had 
passed  away,  they  could  be  seen  approaching  in 
two  columns,  while  a  party  of  skirmishers,  sent 
out  by  Gibbs,  were  ordered  to  turn  the  left  flank 
of  the  Americans  and  attack  their  rear. 

"Just  then  a  band  of  rough  looking  men  came 
down  the  road  from  the  direction  of  the  city. 
They  were  Baratarians,  who  had  run  all  the  way 
from  Fort  St.  John  to  take  part  in  the  fight,  and 
Jackson  was  delighted  to  see  them.  He  put 
them  in  charge  of  the  twenty-four  pounders  and 
they  did  excellent  service. 

"  Next  came  the  crew  of  the  Carolina,  under 
Lieutenants  Norris  and  Crawley,  and  they  were 
given  charge  of  the  howitzer  on  the  right.  A 
galling  fire  of  musketry  fell  upon  the  British  as 
they  advanced  in  solid  column,  then  the  batteries 
of  the  Louisiana  and  some  of  Jackson's  heavy 
guns  swept  their  lines  with  deadly  effect,  one 


16  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

of  the  shots  from  the  Louisiana  killing  and 
wounding  fifteen  men.  The  British  rocketeers 
were  busy  on  their  side,  too,  but  succeeded  in 
inflicting  very  little  damage  upon  the  Ameri 
cans. 

"  But  I  must  leave  the  rest  of  the  story  for 
another  time,  for  I  see  we  are  about  to  have  com 
pany,"  concluded  the  captain,  as  a  carriage  was 
seen  coming  swiftly  up  the  driveway.  It 
brought  callers  who  remained  until  the  hour  for 
the  retiring  of  the  younger  ones  among  his 
bearers. 


CHAPTER  H. 

THE  next  evening  the  Viamede  family  -were 
again  gathered  upon  the  veranda,  and,  at  the  ur 
gent  request  of  the  younger  portion,  seconded 
by  that  of  the  older  ones,  the  captaih  resumed 
the  thread  of  his  narrative. 

"Keane's  men, "he  said,  "could  co  longer  en 
dure  the  terrible  fire  that  was  so  rapidly  thinning 
their  ranks,  and  they  were  presently  ordered  to 
seek  shelter  in  the  little  canals,  where,  in  mud 
and  water  almost  waist  deep,  they  leaned  for 
ward,  concealing  themselves  in  the  rushes  which 
grew  on  the  banks.  They  were  Wellington's 
veterans,  and  must  have  felt  humiliated  enough 
to  be  thus  compelled  to  flee  before  a  few  rough 
backwoodsmen,  as  they  considered  Jackson's 
troops. 

"  In  the  meantime,  Gibbs  and  Rennie  were  en 
deavoring  to  flank  the  American  left,  driving 
in  the  pickets  till  they  were  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  Carroll  and  his  Tennesseeans.  Carroll 
perceived  their  object  and  sent  Colonel  Hender 
son  with  200  Tennesseeans  to  cut  Rennie  off  from 
the  main  body  of  the  enemy  by  gaining  his  rear. 
Henderson  went  too  far,  raet  a  large  British 

17 


18  ELSIE  AT  VIANEDE. 

force,  and  he  and  five  of  his  men  were  killed  and 
several  wounded.  But  Gibbs,  seeing  how  hard 
the  fight  was  going  with  Keane,  ordered  Rennie 
to  fall  back  to  his  assistance.  Rennie  reluct 
antly  obeyed,  but  only  to  be  a  witness  of  Kane's 
repulse.  Packenham,  deeply  mortified  by  the 
unexpected  disaster  to  his  veterans,  presently 
ordered  his  men  to  fall  back,  and  retired  to  his 
headquarters  at  Villere's." 

"Had  he  lost  many  of  his  men  that  day,  sir?" 
queried  Walter. 

"  The  British  loss  in  the  engagement  is  said 
to  have  been  about  one  hundred  and  fifty,"  re 
plied  Captain  Raymond ;  "that  of  the  Americans 
nine  killed  and  eight  wounded.  Packenham 
called  a  council  of  war,  at  which  it  was  re 
solved  to  bring  heavy  siege  guns  from  the 
navy  and  with  them  make  another  attempt  to 
conquer  the  Americans  and  get  possession  of 
the  city,  which  Packenham  now  began  to  see  to 
be  by  no  means  the  easy  task  he  had  at  first 
imagined.  He  perceived  that  it  was  difficult, 
dangerous,  and  would  require  all  the  skill  of 
which  he  was  master;  that  his  movements  must 
be  both  courageous  and  persevering  if  he  would 
save  his  army  from  destruction. 

"  Jackson,  too,  was  busy  with  his  preparations, 
extending  his  line  of  intrenchments,  placing 
guns,  establishing  batteries,  and  appointing 
those  who  were  to  command  and  work  them. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  19 

"A  company  of  young  men  from  the  best 
families,  under  Captain  Ogden,  were  made  Ms 
body-guard  and  subject  to  his  orders  alone. 
They  were  posted  in  Macarte's  garden. 

"Everybody  was  full  of  enthusiasm,  active 
and  alert.  Particularly  so  were  the  Tennessee 
riflemen;  they  delighted  in  going  on  'hunts,'  as 
they  called  expeditions  to  pick  off  the  sentinels 
of  the  enemy.  So  successful  were  they  in  this 
kind  of  warfare  on  Jackson's  left,  very  near  the 
swamp,  that  soon  the  British  dared  not  post 
sentinels  there.  They  (the  British)  threw  up  a 
strong  redoubt  there  which  Captain  You  and 
Lieutenant  Crawley  constantly  battered  with 
heavy  shot  from  their  cannon;  but  the  British 
persevered,  and  by  the  end  of  the  month  had 
mounted  several  heavy  guns,  with  which,  on 
the  31st,  they  began  a  vigorous  fire  upon  the 
Americans. 

"  That  night  the  whole  of  the  British  army 
moved  forward  to  within  a  few  hundred  yards 
of  the  American  lines,  and  in  the  gloom,  began 
rapid  work  with  spade  and  pickaxe.  They 
brought  up  siege  guns  from  the  lake,  and  before 
dawn  had  finished  three  half -moon  batteries  at 
nearly  equal  distances  apart,  and  six  hundred 
yards  from  the  American  line. 

"They  (the  batteries)  were  made  of  earth, 
hogsheads  of  sugar,  and  whatever  else  could  be 
laid  hold  of  that  would  answer  the  purpose. 


20  ELBIE  AT  VIAMEDb. 

Upon  them  they  placed  thirty  pieces  of  heavy 
ordnance,  manned  by  picked  gunners  of  the 
fleet,  who  had  served  under  Nelson,  Colling- 
wood,  and  St.  Vincent. 

"That  morning  was  the  1st  of  January,  1815. 
A  thick  fog  hid  the  two  armies  from  each  other 
until  after  eight  o'clock.  Then  a  gentle  breeze 
blew  it  aside,  and  the  British  began  firing  briskly 
upon  the  American  works,  doubtless  feeling 
sure  they  would  presently  scatter  them  to  the 
winds,  and  that  their  own  army,  placed  ready 
in  battle  array,  would  then  rush  forward,  over 
power  the  Americans,  and  take  the  city. 

"Heavier  and  heavier  grew  their  bombard 
ment  ;  the  rocketeers  sent  an  incessant  shower  of 
fiery  missiles  into  the  American  lines  and  upon 
Jackson's  headquarters  at  Macarte's,  more  than 
a  hundred  balls,  shells,  and  rockets  striking  the 
building  in  the  course  of  ten  minutes.  He  and 
his  staff  immediately  left  the  house,  and  in  the 
meantime  he  had  opened  his  heavy  guns  on  the 
assailants. 

"The  British  were  amazed  to  find  heavy  ar 
tillery  thundering  along 'the  whole  line,  and 
wondered  how  and  where  the  Americans  had 
got  their  guns  and  gunners. 

"  It  was  a  terrible  fight.  Packenham  sent  a 
detachment  of  infantry  to  turn  the  American 
left,  but  they  were  driven  back  in  terror  by  the 
Tennesseeans  under  Coffee.  After  that,  the  con- 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  21 

flict  was  between  the  batteries  alone,  and  before 
noon  the  fire  of  the  British  had  sensibly  abated. 
Then  they  abandoned  their  works  and  fled 
helter-skelter  to  the  ditches  for  safety ;  for  their 
demi-lunes  were  crushed  and  broken,  the  hogs 
heads,  of  which  they  were  largely  composed, 
having  been  reduced  to  splinters  and  the  sugar 
that  had  filled  them  mixed  with  the  earth. 
Some  of  their  guns  were  dismounted,  others 
careened  so  that  it  was  very  difficult  to  work 
them,  while  the  fire  of  the  Americans  was 
still  unceasing.  At  noon,  as  I  have  said, 
they  gave  up  the  contest.  That  night  they 
crawled  back  and  carried  away  some  of  their 
cannon,  dragging  them  with  difficulty  over  the 
wet  ground,  and  leaving  five  of  them  a  spoil 
to  the  Americans. 

"They  (the  British)  were  deeply  chagrined  by 
their  repulse,  had  eaten  nothing  for  sixty  hours, 
nor  had  any  sleep  in  all  that  time,  so  that  their 
New  Year's  Day  was  even  gloomier  than  their 
Christmas  had  been. 

"  The  Americans,  on  the  other  hand,  were  full 
of  joy  that  they  had  been  able  to  repulse  their 
own  and  their  country's  foes ;  and  their  happi 
ness  was  increased  by  the  news  that  they  were 
soon  to  have  a  re-enforcement,  Brigadier-Gen 
eral  John  Adair  arriving  with  the  glad  tidings 
that  2000  drafted  militia  from  Kentucky  were 
coming  to  their  assistance.  These  arrived  on  the 


22  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

4th  of  the  month,  and  700  of  them  were  sent 
to  the  front  under  Adair. 

"Packenham  had  lost  some  of  his  confidence  in 
the  ability  of  himself  and  his  troops  to  conquer 
the  Americans,  but  hoped  to  be  more  successful 
in  a  new  effort.  He  decided  to  try  to  carry 
Jackson's  lines  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  He 
resolved  to  rebuild  his  two  batteries  near  the 
levee,  which  had  been  destroyed  by  the  Ameri 
cans,  mount  them  well,  and  employ  them  in  as 
sailing  the  American  right,  while  Keane,  with 
his  corps,  was  to  advance  with  fascines  to  fill 
the  ditches,  and  scaling  ladders  with  which  to 
mount  the  embankments. 

"But  first  1500  infantry,  with  some  artillery,, 
were  to  be  sent  under  cover  of  night  to  attack 
Morgan,  whose  works  were  but  feebly  manned, 
and,  getting  possession,  enfilade  Jackson's  line, 
while  the  main  British  army  attacked  it  in 
front. 

"All  the  labor  of  completing  these  arrange 
ments  was  finished  on  the  7th,  and  the 
army,  now  10,000  strong,  was  in  fine  spirits, 
no  doubt  thinking  they  had  an  easy  task  before 
them.  But  Jackson  saw  through  their  designs, 
and  was  busily  engaged  in  making  his  prepara 
tions.  He  had  thrown  up  a  redoubt  on  the 
edge  of  the  river,  and  mounted  it  with  cannon  so 
as  to  enfilade  the  ditch  in  front  of  his  line.  He 
had,  besides,  eight  batteries  at  proper  distances 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  23 

from  each  other,  and  Patterson's  marine  battery 
across  the  river,  mounting  nine  guns;  also  the 
Louisiana  near  at  hand  and  ready  to  take  any 
part  she  could  in  assisting  him. 

"  The  plain  of  Chalmette  was  in  front  of  Jack 
son's  line.  His  whole  force  on  the  New 
Orleans  side  of  the  river  was  about  5000 ;  only 
2200  of  them  were  at  his  line ;  only  800  of  them 
were  regulars,  most  of  them  being  new  recruits 
commanded  by  young  officers. 

"  The  British  attempted  to  carry  out  Packen- 
ham's  plans,  but  Thornton  was  delayed  in 
reaching  Morgan  by  the  falling  of  the  water  in 
the  canal  and  river,  so  that  the  sailors  had  to  drag 
the  boats  through  the  mud  in  many  places,  and 
it  was  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  before  half 
his  force  had  crossed.  Besides,  the  powerful 
current  of  the  Mississippi  carried  them  down 
stream,  and  they  were  landed  at  least  a  mile 
and  a  half  below  the  point  at  which  they  had  in 
tended  to  disembark,  and  the  roar  of  the  cannon 
on  the  plain  of  Chalmette  was  heard  before 
all  had  landed.  The  British  had  formed  in  line 
and  advanced  to  within  450  yards  of  the  Ameri 
can  intrenchments,  and  there,  under  Gibbs  and 
Keane,  they  stood  in  the  darkness,  fog,  and 
chilly  air,  listening  for  the  boom  of  Thornton's 
guns. 

"The  time  must  have  seemed  long  to  them, 
and  doubtless  they  wondered  what  delayed 


24  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

him.  But  day  began  to  dawn,  the  red  coats  of 
the  enemy  could  be  dimly  seen  by  our  troops 
through  the  fog,  and  Lieutenant  Spotswood, 
of  battery  No.  7,  opened  the  battle  by  sending 
one  of  his  heavy  shots  in  among  them. 

"  The  fog  rolled  away,  and  the  British  line  was 
seen  extending  two-thirds  of  the  distance  across 
the  plain  of  Chalmette.  A  rocket  was  sent  up 
from  each  end  of  the  line  and  it  broke  into 
fragments,  the  men  forming  into  columns  by 
companies.  Then  Gibbs  moved  forward  toward 
the  wooded  swamp,  his  troops,  as  they  advanced, 
terribly  pelted  by  the  fire  of  the  Americans, 
the  batteries  Nos.  6,  7,  and  8  pouring  shot  in 
cessantly  into  their  line,  making  lanes  through, 
it. 

"  Some  sought  shelter  from  the  storm  behind 
a  projection  of  the  swamp  into  the  plain ;  but  in 
vain.  Whole  platoons  were  prostrated,  but 
their  places  were  instantly  filled  by  others. 

"The  company  who  were  to  have  brought  the 
fascines  and  scaling  ladders  had  forgotten  them, 
and  that,  with  the  terrible  fire  of  the  American 
batteries,  wrought  some  confusion  in  the  ranks; 
but  they  pressed  on  bravely,  cheering  each  other 
with  loud  huzzas,  their  front  covered  by  blazing 
rockets.  As  rank  after  rank  fell  under  the  fire 
of  the  Americans,  their  places  were  instantly 
occupied  by  others,  and  the  column  pushed  on 
toward  the  American  batteries  on  the  left  and 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  25 

the  weaker  line  defended  by  the  Kentuckians 
and  the  Tennesseeans. 

"Those  British  troops  were  Wellington's 
veterans  who  had  fought  so  bravely  in  Europe, 
and  now,  in  spite  of  the  awful  slaughter  in  their 
ranks,  they  moved  unflinchingly  forward,  with 
out  pause  or  recoil,  stepping  unhesitatingly  over 
their  fallen  comrades,  till  they  were  within  two 
hundred  yards  of  our  lines,  when  General  Car 
roll's  voice  rang  out  in  clear,  clarion  tones, 
'Fire!'  and,  at  the  word,  the  Tennesseeans  rose 
from  behind  their  works,  where  they  had  lain 
concealed,  and  poured  in  a  deadly  fire,  each  man 
taking  sure  aim,  and  their  bullets  cutting  down 
scores  of  the  enemy. 

''Then,  as  the  Tennesseeans  fell  back,  the  Ken 
tuckians  stepped  quickly  into  their  places  and 
poured  in  their  fire  with  equally  deadly  aim; 
then  another  rank  followed,  and  still  another,  so 
that  the  fire  slackened  not  for  a  moment,  while 
at  the  same  time  grape  and  round  shot  from 
the  batteries  went  crashing  through  the  British 
ranks,  making  awful  gaps  in  them. 

"  It  was  enough  to  appall  the  stoutest  heart, 
and  their  lines  began  to  waver;  but  their  officers 
encouraged  them  with  the  cry,  'Here  comes  the 
Forty -fourth  with  the  fascines  and  the  ladders !'" 

"Papa,  what  are  fascines?"  asked  Grace. 

"Long  faggots  used  for  different  purposes  in 
engineering,"  he  replied.  "It  was  true  they 


26  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

were  coining  with  them,  Packenham  at  their 
head,  encouraging  his  meu  by  stirring  words  and 
deeds ;  but  presently  a  bullet  struck  his  bridle 
arm,  and  his  horse  was  shot  under  him.  He 
quickly  mounted  a  pony  belonging  to  his  favor 
ite  aid,  but  another  shot  disabled  his  right  arm, 
and,  as  his  pony  was  being  led  away  to  the  rear, 
another  passed  through  his  thigh,  killed  the 
horse,  and  he  and  it  fell  to  the  ground  together. 
He  was  carried  to  the  rear  and  placed  under  an 
oak,  where  he  soon  died  in  the  arms  of  Sir  Dun 
can  McDougall,  the  aid  who  had  resigned  the 
pony  to  him. 

"Other  officers  fell,  till  there  were  not  enough 
to  command.  General  Keane  was  shot  through 
the  neck,  and  the  wound  compelled  him  to  leave 
the  field.  General  Gibbs  was  mortally  wounded 
and  died  the  next  day.  Major  Wilkinson,  who 
then  took  command,  fell  on  the  parapet,  mor 
tally  wounded;  then  the  British  fled  in  wild 
confusion." 

"But  they  had  been  very  brave,"  remarked 
Grace.  "  What  a  pity  it  was  that  they  had  to 
fight  in  such  a  bad  cause.  Were  there  very 
many  of  them  killed,  papa?" 

"  Yes,  a  great  many.  Of  a  regiment  of  brave 
Highlanders,  with  twenty -five  officers,  only  nine 
officers  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  men  could  be 
mustered  after  the  terrible  fight  was  over.  An 
other  regiment  had  lost  five  hundred  men. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  27 

"While  this  fighting  had  been  going  on,  an 
other  of  their  divisions  of  nearly  one  thousand 
men,  led  by  Colonel  Rennie,  attacked  an  unfin 
ished  redoubt  on  Jackson's  right  and  succeeded 
in  driving  out  the  Americans  there,  but  could  not 
hold  it  long,  being  terribly  punished  by  Hum 
phreys'  batteries  and  the  Seventh  Regiment. 
Yet  Rennie  succeeded  in  scaling  the  parapet  of 
the  American  redoubt.  Beale's  New  Orleans 
Rifles  poured  such  a  tempest  of  shot  upon  the 
officers  and  men  in  the  redoubt  that  nearly  every 
one  was  killed  or  wounded.  Rennie,  who  had 
just  shouted,  'Hurrah,  boys!  the  day  is  ours!' 
fell  mortally  wounded. 

"And  now  this  attacking  column  also  fell 
back,  and  by  hastening  to  the  plantation 
ditches,  sought  shelter  from  the  terrible  tem 
pest  of  shot  and  shell  coming  from  Jackson's, 
lines. 

"General  Lambert  with  his  troops  tried  to 
come  to  the  aid  of  Packenham,  Gibbs,  and 
Keane,  but  was  able  only  to  cover  the  retreat 
of  their  vanquished  and  flying  columns." 

"And  the  victory  was  won  then,  papa?" 
queried  Lulu. 

"Yes,  though  the  battle  had  lasted  but  a 
short  time;  by  half  past  eight  A.  M.  the  mus 
ketry  fire  had  ceased,  though  the  artillery  kept 
theirs  up  till  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon." 

"  Were  both  Americans  and  British  playing 


28  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

their  national  airs  while  the  fight  was  going  on, 
sir?"  asked  Walter. 

"The  British  had  no  music  but  a  bugle,"  re 
plied  the  captain,  "not  even  a  drum  or  a 
trumpet ;  but  all  through  the  fight,  from  the  time 
they  sent  up  their  first  signal  rocket,  the  New 
Orleans  Band  was  stationed  near  the  spot  where 
the  American  flag  was  flying,  playing  national 
airs  to  cheer  and  animate  our  soldiers." 

"Were  not  the  British  rather  more  successful 
in  another  part  of  the  field,  Captain?"  asked  Eva. 

"Yes,"  he  replied;  "in  their  attack  upon  the 
troops  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  they  be 
ing  only  militia  and  few  in  number;  also  fa 
tigued  and  poorly  armed.  Morgan,  their  com 
mander,  was  compelled  to  spike  his  cannon  and 
throw  them  into  the  river,  his  men  being  driven 
from  their  intrenchments. 

"Then  Thornton,  his  assailant,  pushed  on  to 
Patterson's  battery,  three  hundred  yards  in  the 
rear,  and  Patterson,  threatened  by  a  flank  move 
ment  also,  was  compelled  to  spike  his  guns  and 
flee  on  board  of  the  Louisiana,  his  sailors  help 
ing  to  get  her  out  of  the  reach  of  the  foe. 

"But  Thornton  soon  heard  of  the  disasters  or 
his  comrades  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and 
received  orders  to  rejoin  them.  Jackson  had 
sent  four  hundred  men  to  re-enforce  Morgan, 
but  there  was  now  no  need  of  their  services. 
Thornton  re-embarked  his  troops  at  twilighta 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  29 

the  Americans  repossessed  themselves  of  their 
works,  and  Patterson  removed  the  spikes  from 
his  guns,  put  his  battery  in  better  position,  and 
at  dawn  informed  Jackson  of  what  he  had  done 
by  heavy  firing  upon  the  British  outposts  at 
Bienvenu's. 

"  In  that  battle  of  January  8,  1815,  the  British 
had  lost  twenty-six  hundred  men,  seven  hundred 
killed,  fourteen  hundred  wounded,  and  five 
hundred  made  prisoners ;  while  the  Americans 
had  only  eight  killed  and  thirteen  wounded. 
Lossing  tells  us,  'The  history  of  human  warfare 
presents  no  parallel  to  this  disparity  in  loss. ' 

"In  Thornton's  attack,  the  British  loss  was  a 
little  more  than  one  hundred;  the  American,  one 
killed  and  five  wounded.  On  that  side  of  the 
river  the  British  secured  their  only  trophy  of 
their  efforts  to  capture  New  Orleans.  So  Loss- 
ing  tells  us,  adding,  'It  was  a  small  flag,  and 
now  [1867],  hangs  conspicuously  among  other 
war  trophies  in  Whitehall,  London,  with  the  in 
scription  :  *  'Taken  at  the  battle  of  New  Orleans^ 
January  8,  1815."'" 

"That  looks  as  though  our  British  cousins  must 
esteem  it  quite  a  triumph  to  be  able  to  succeed 
in  taking  anything  from  Uncle  Sam,"  laughed 
Rosie. 

"Yes,"  said  Walter,  "I  think  they  compli 
ment  us  by  making  so  much  of  that  one  little 
trophy." 


30  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"So  do  I,"  said  Lulu.  "Papa,  is  that  the 
end  of  your  story?" 

"  No,  not  quite,"  replied  the  captain.  "  After 
the  battle  had  come  to  an  end,  Jackson  and  his 
staff  passed  slowly  along  his  whole  line,  speak 
ing  words  of  congratulation  and  praise  to  his 
brave  troops,  officers  and  men.  Then  the  band 
struck  up  'Hail  Columbia,'  and  cheer  after  cheer 
for  the  hero  went  up  from  every  part  of  the  line. 
The  citizens  also,  who  had  been  anxiously  and 
eagerly  watching  the  battle  from  a  distance, 
joined  in  the  cheering.  Then,  after  refreshing 
themselves  with  some  food  (doubtless  having 
gone  into  the  battle  without  waiting  to  eat 
their  breakfast) ,  the  soldiers  set  to  work  to  bury 
the  dead  of  the  enemy  in  front  of  Jackson's 
lines,  and  take  care  of  the  wounded. 

"  General  Lambert  sent  a  flag  of  truce  asking 
for  an  armistice  in  order  to  bury  his  dead,  and 
Jackson  granted  it  on  condition  that  the  British 
should  not  cross  to  the  right  bank  of  the  river. 

"The  next  morning,  detachments  from  both 
armies  were  drawn  up  in  front  of  the  American 
lines,  at  a  distance  of  three  hundred  yards,  then 
the  dead  bodies  between  that  point  and  the  in- 
trenchments  were  carried  by  the  Americans 
upon  the  very  scaling  ladders  left  there  by  the 
British,  and  delivered  to  them.  They  were 
buried  on  Bienvenu's  plantation,  and,  as  Lossing 
tells  us,  the  graves  were  still  there  undisturbed 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE  31 

•when  he  visited  the  spot  in  1861.  He  says  also 
that  it  is  regarded  with  superstitious  awe  by  the 
negroes  in  the  neighborhood. 

"  The  wounded  who  had  been  taken  prisoners 
were  carried  to  the  barracks  in  New  Orleans  and 
tenderly  cared  for  by  the  citizens.  Some  of 
the  dead  British  officers  were  buried  that  night 
by  torch  light  in  the  garden  at  Villere's;  the 
bodies  of  others,  among  whom  were  Packenham, 
Rennie,  and  Gibbs,  were  sent  to  their  friends  in 
England." 

The  captain  paused,  and  Violet  said  play 
fully,  "I  fear  we  are  fatiguing  you,  my  dear; 
suppose  you  leave  the  rest  of  your  story  for 
another  time." 

"And  that  we  have  some  music  now,"  added 
her  mother,  a  suggestion  which  was  immedi 
ately  adopted,  the  whole  party  adjourning  to 
the  parlor. 


CHAPTER  HI. 

THE  captain  opened  the  piano  and  glanced 
smilingly  at  his  young  wife.  But  Violet  shook 
her  head  playfully.  "  I  think  mamma  should  be 
the  player  to-night,"  she  said.  "  She  has  scarcely 
touched  the  piano  for  months,  and  I  am  really 
hungry  to  have  her  do  so." 

"Will  you  give  us  some  music,  mother?" 
queried  the  captain,  offering  to  lead  her  to  the 
instrument. 

"Yes,"  she  returned  laughingly.  "I  could 
never  wilfully  allow  my  daughter  to  suffer  from 
hunger  when  in  my  power  to  relieve  it." 

"Patriotic  songs  first,  please,  mamma,"  en 
treated  Walter,  as  she  took  her  seat  before  the 
instrument.  "  I  do  believe  we  all  feel  like  sing 
ing  'Hail,  Columbia!'  and  the  'Star-Spangled 
Banner.'  At  least  I  do,  I  am  sure." 

"  I  presume  we  are  all  in  a  patriotic  frame  of 
mind  to-night,"  she  returned,  giving  him  a  smile 
of  mingled  love  and  pride  as  she  struck  a  chord 
or  two,  then  dashed  off  into  "Yankee-doodle- 
dandy,"  with  variations. 

"Hail  Columbia!"  and  "Star-Spangled  Ban 
ner"  followed,  old  and  young  uniting  together 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  33 

with  enthusiasm  in  singing  the  patriotic  words, 
but  still  other  voices  were  unexpectedly  heard 
joining  in  on  the  concluding  strains: 

"  That  star-spangled  banner,  oh,  long  may  it  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave! " 

"  Oh,  Cousin  Molly  and  Mr.  Embury !  Dick, 
too !  and  Betty !"  cried  Violet,  hurrying  ;with 
outstretched  hand  toward  the  doorway  into  the 
hall,  where  the  cousins  stood  in  a  little  group 
looking  smilingly  in  upon  them.  "  Come  in ;  I 
am  delighted  to  see  you." 

The  invitation  was  promptly  accepted,  and 
for  the  next  few  minutes  there  was  a  tumult 
uous  exchange  of  joyous  greetings. 

Dr.  Percival  and  his  half  brother,  Robert 
Johnson,  had  been  spending  some  months  to 
gether  in  Europe,  their  sister  Betty  visiting 
friends  in  Natchez  through  the  winter,  and 
only  that  morning  the  three  had  returned  to 
Magnolia  Hall,  where  Betty  had  a  home  with 
her  sister  Molly,  and  the  brothers  were  always 
welcome  guests. 

Presently  all  were  seated  and  a  very  animated 
conversation  ensued,  the  newly  arrived  having 
much  to  tell  and  many  inquiries  to  make  con 
cerning  absent  friends  and  relatives. 

After  a  little  it  came  out  that  Betty  was  en 
gaged  and  shortly  to  be  married,  provided 
"Uncle  Horace"  was  satisfied  with  regard  to 


34  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

the  suitableness  of  the  "match,  of  which  no  one 
acquainted  with  the  reputation,  family,  and  cir 
cumstances  of  the  favored  lover,  felt  any  doubt. 

It  was  a  love  match  on  both  sides ;  the  gentle 
man,  an  American,  engaged  in  a  lucrative  busi 
ness,  of  irreproachable  character  and  reputation, 
pleasing  appearance  and  manners,  in  fact,  all 
that  could  reasonably  be  desired,  assured  of 
which,  Mr.  Dinsmore  gave  a  prompt  consent, 
adding  his  warm  congratulations,  which  Betty 
accepted  with  blushes  and  smiles. 

"I  was  not  unprepared  for  this,  Betty,"  he 
said  with  a  smile,  "having  received  a  letter 
from  the  gentleman  himself,  asking  for  the 
hand  of  my  niece,  Miss  Johnson." 

"O  Betty,  how  nice!"  cried  Rosie  with  a 
gleeful  laugh,  and  softly  clapping  her  hands. 
"When  is  it  to  be?  I  hope  before  we  leave  for 
the  North,  for  I,  for  one,  want  to  see  what  a 
pretty  bride  you  will  make,  and  I  dare  say  Mr. 
Norris,  your  favored  suitor,  feels  in  as  great 
haste  as  I." 

"  I  am  quite  aware  that  I  have  no  beauty  to 
boast  of,  coz,"  laughed  Betty,  "but  I  believe 
it's  a  conceded  point  that  a  woman  always  looks 
her  best  at  such  a  time,  and  in  bridal  attire. 
However  that  may  be,  though,  I  shall  want 
you  all  present,  so  I  will  hurry  my  preparations 
in  order  that  the  great  event  may  take  place 
while  you  are  here  to  have  a  share  in  it.  By 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  35 

the  way,  I  have  laid  my  plans  to  have  three 
bridesmaids  and  several  maids  of  honor,  and  I 
have  planned  that  they  shall  be  my  three  young 
friends,  Cousin  Rosie  Travilla,  Evelyn  Leland, 
and  Lucilla  Raymond,"  glancing  from  one  to 
another  as  she  spoke,  then  adding,  "Now  don't 
decline,  any  one  of  you,  for  I  shall  be  mortally 
offended  if  you  do." 

"No  danger  of  that,  unless  compelled  by  some 
one  of  the  older  folks,"  laughed  Rosie,  turning 
inquiringly  toward  her  mother,  while  Evelyn 
colored  and  smiled,  hesitated  momentarily,  then 
said  in  a  noncommittal  way,  "You  are  very 
kind,  Betty,  but  I'll  have  to  think  about  it  a 
little  and  ask  permission." 

Lulu's  face  grew  radiant  with  delight.  "O 
Betty,  how  good  of  you!"  she  exclaimed. 
"Papa,  may  I?"  turning  a  very  pleading  look 
upon  him  and  hurrying  to  his  side. 

He  took  her  hand  in  his,  smiling  affectionately 
into  the  eager,  entreating  eyes.  "  I  [think  you 
may,  daughter,"  he  said  kindly,  "since  Cousin 
Betty  is  so  good  as  to  include  you  in  the  invi 
tation.  I  see  nothing  in  the  way  at  present.'* 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  sir!"  she  cried  joyously,  then 
turned  to  listen  with  eager  interest  to  an  ani 
mated  discussion  going  on  among  the  ladies  in 
regard  to  the  most  suitable  and  tasteful  attire 
for  bride  and  bridesmaids  or  maids  of  honor. 

"The  bride  will,  of  course,  wear  white,"  Vio- 


36  ELSIE  AT  VIANEDE. 

let  was  saying,  "but  it  would  be  pretty  and  in 
accordance  with  the  fashion  for  her  maids  of 
honor  to  dress  in  colors." 

"Yes,"  assented  Rosie,  "and  I  propose  blue 
for  Eva,  delicate  straw  or  canary  color  for  Lu, 
who  has  a  complexion  just  to  suit,  and  pink  for 
me.  What  do  you  say,  girls?"  turning  to  them 
where  they  stood  side  by  side. 

"I  like  the  idea,"  replied  Evelyn,  Lulu  add 
ing,  "And  so  do  I.  Do  you  approve,  papa?" 
hurrying  to  his  side  again. 

"Yes,  daughter;  if  it  pleases  you  and  meets 
the  approval  of  the  ladies." 

"You  are  so  good  to  me,  dear  papa!"  she  ex 
claimed  with  a  look  of  gratitude  and  affection. 

But  it  was  growing  late,  and  leaving  various 
matters  to  be  settled  in  another  interview  to  be 
held  at  an  early  day,  the  cousins  bade  good 
night  and  departed. 

"Papa,  I  do  think  I  have  just  the  best  and 
kindest  father  in  the  whole  world!"  exclaimed 
Lulu,  seating  herself  upon  his  knee  and  putting 
her  arm  about  his  neck,  her  lips  to  his  cheek, 
when  he  had  come  to  her  room  for  the  usual  good 
night  bit  of  chat. 

"Rather  strong,  isn't  it?"  he  queried  laugh 
ingly,  holding  her  close  and  returning  her  caress 
with;  interest. 

"  Not  too  strong,  you  dear,  dear  papa !"  she 
said,  hugging  him  tighter.  "Oh,  if  ever  I'm 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  37 

disobedient  or  ill  tempered  again  I  ought  to  "be 
severely  punished." 

"My  dear  child,"  he  said  gravely,  smoothing 
her  hair  with  caressing  hand  as  he  spoke,  "do 
not  ever  again  give  your  father  the  pain  of  pun 
ishing  you.  Watch  and  pray,  and  try  every  day 
to  grow  into  the  likeness  of  the  dear  Master. 
It  makes  me  happy  that  you  want  to  please 
me,  your  earthly  father,  but  I  would  have  you 
care  far  more  about  pleasing  and  honoring 
Him." 

"  I  do  care  about  that,  papa.  Oh,  I  want  very 
much  to  have  Him  pleased  with  me,  but  next  to 
that  I  want  to  please  you,  because  you  are 
such  a  good,  kind  father,  and  I  love  you  so 
dearly." 

"Yes,  daughter,  and  I  esteem  your  love  one 
of  the  great  blessings  of  my  life,  while  you  are 
dearer  to  me  than  words  can  express:  one 
of  God's  good  gifts  for  which  I  am  truly  thank 
ful.  But  I  must  now  bid  you  good-night  and 
leave  you  to  rest,  for  it  is  growing  late." 

"  Yes,  sir.  But  I  feel  as  wide-awake  as  pos 
sible — I'm  so  excited  thinking  about  Betty's 
wedding.  So  I  wish  you'd  stay  just  a  little 
bit  longer.  Can't  you,  papa?" 

"No,  daughter,  I  must  leave  you  and  you 
must  go  to  bed  at  once ;  try  to  banish  exciting 
thoughts,  and  get  to  sleep." 

"  I'll  try  my  very  best  to  obey  my  own  dear 


38  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

father,"  she  returned,  looking  up  into  his  face 
with  eyes  full  of  ardent  affection. 

He  smiled,  held  her  close  for  a  moment,  repeat 
ing  his  caresses,  saying  low  and  tenderly,  "  God 
bless  and  keep  my  dear  daughter  through  the 
silent  watches  of  the'night,  and  wake  her  in  the 
morning  in  health  and  strength,  if  it  be  His 
will."  Then  releasing  her  he  left  the  room. 

She  was  soon  in  the  land  of  dreams;  the  sun 
was  shining  when  she  awoke  again. 

The  wedding  and  matters  connected  with  it 
were  the  principal  topics  of  discourse  at  the 
breakfast  table.  Betty  had  expressed  an  ardent 
wish  to  have  present  at  the  ceremony  all  the  rel 
atives  from  the  neighborhood  of  her  old  home, 
saying  that  she  and  Molly  had  already  despatched 
invitations  which  she  hoped  would  be  accepted, 
and  now  it  was  settled  that  Mr.  Dinsmore  and 
Grandma  Elsie  should  write  at  once,  urging  all 
to  come  to  Viamede  and  remain  till  the  summer 
heats  would  make  it  more  prudent  to  return  to 
a  cooler  climate.  There  was  talk,  too,  of  an  en 
tertainment  to  be  given  there  to  the  bride  and 
groom,  of  suitable  wedding  gifts,  and  also  the 
attire  of  maids  of  honor. 

The  young  girls  selected  to  take  part  in  the 
ceremony  were*  particularly  interested,  excit 
able  Lulu  especially  so ;  she  could  hardly  think 
of  anything  else,  even  in  the  school-room,  and  as 
a  consequence  recited  so  badly  that  her  father 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  39 

looked  very  grave  indeed,  and  when  dismissing 
the  others  told  her  she  must  remain  in  the 
school-room  studying,  until  she  could  recite 
each  lesson  very  much  more  creditably  to  both 
herself  and  her  teacher. 

"Yes,  sir,"  she  said  in  a  low,  unwilling  tone, 
casting  down  her  eyes  and  coloring  with  morti 
fication;  "but  I  think  the  lessons  were  dread 
fully  hard  to-day,  papa." 

"  No,  daughter,  it  is  only  that  your  mind  is 
dwelling  upon  other  things.  You  must  learn  to 
exercise  better  control  over  your  thoughts  and 
concentrate  them  always  upon  the  business  in 
hand." 

"But,  papa,  I'll  never  be  able  to  learn  the 
lessons  before  dinner  time,  and  I  am  hungry  now ; 
are  you  going  to  make  me  fast  till  I  recite  per 
fectly?" 

"  No,  my  child :  you  may  eat  when  the  rest  of 
us  do,  and  finish  your  tasks  afterward.  You 
may  have  a  cracker  now  if  you  are  hungry." 

"  Oh,  may  I  go  and  get  her  some,  papa?"  asked 
Grace,  who  had  lingered  behind  the  others,  full 
of  concern  and  sympathy  for  her  sister,  and 
was  now  standing,  close  at  his  side. 

"Yes,  my  darling,"  he  said,  smiling  upon  the 
little  girl,  and  smoothing  her  hair  with  softly 
caressing  hand. 

"Oh,  thank  you,  sir!"  and  away  she  ran,  to 
return  in  a  few  moments  with  a  plate  of  crackers, 


40  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

when  she  found  Lulu  alone,  bending  over  a 
book,  apparently  studying  with  great  dili. 
gence. 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  Grace !"  she  exclaimed ;  "  you 
are  ever  so  good.  I  was  so  taken  up  with  the 
talk  about  the  wedding  at  breakfast  time,  that 
I  didn't  eat  nearly  so  much  as  usual.  Some 
folks  in  papa's  place  would  have  made  me  fast 
till  my  lessons  were  learned;  but  he's  such  a 
good,  kind  father;  isn't  he?" 

"Yes,  indeed!"  returned  Grace  emphatically, 
setting  down  the  plate  as  she  spoke.  "Now 
I'll  run  away  and  let  you  learn  your  lesson." 

Lulu  did  not  feel  fully  prepared  for  her  reci 
tations  when  the  dinner  bell  rang,  but,  having 
her  father's  permission,  she  went  to  the  table 
with  the  others.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  meal 
he  inquired  in  an  aside,  his  tone  kind  and  pleas 
ant,  if  she  were  ready  for  him. 

"No,  sir,"  she,replied,  "not  quite." 

"  You  may  take  half  an  hour  to  digest  your 
dinner,  then  go  back  to  your  tasks,"  he  said. 

"Yes,  sir,  I  will,"  she  answered,  taking  out 
the  pretty  little  watch,  which  was  one  of  his 
gifts,  and  noting  the  time.  Then,  in  company 
with  Rosie,  Evelyn,  and  Grace,  she  went  out 
upon  the  lawn  and  sauntered  about  under  the 
trees,  gathering  flowers. 

She  was  careful  to  return  to  the  school-room 
at  the  appointed  hour.  Presently  her  father 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  41 

followed    her.        "Are    those    lessons    ready, 
daughter?"   he  asked  in  his  usual  kindly  tones. 

"No,  sir;  not  quite,"  she  replied. 

"I  am  sorry,"  he  said,  "as  if  they  were,  I 
would  hear  them  at  once  and  you  might  make 
one  of  the  party  who  are  going  over  to  Mag 
nolia  Hall." 

"Papa,  I  should  so  like  to  go  along!"  she  ex 
claimed,  looking  up  coaxingly  into  his  face. 

"And  I  would  be  glad  to  give  you  the  pleas 
ure,"  he  said  with  a  slight  sigh;  "but  you  know 
I  cannot  do  that,  having  already  told  you  your 
Jessons  must  be  creditably  recited  before  you 
can  be  allowed  any  further  recreation." 

"They're  so  long  and  hard,  papa,"  grumbled 
Lulu,  looking  wofully  disappointed. 

"No,  my  child;  with  your  usual  attention  you 
could  easily  have  learned  them  before  the  regular 
school  hours  were  over,"  he  said.  "I  am  not 
going  with  the  others  and  will  come  for  your 
recitation  in  another  hour  or  perhaps  sooner." 
So  saying  he  turned  and  left  the  room. 

"  Oh,  dear !  I  do  wish  I  was  old  enough  not  to 
have  lessons  to  learn,"  sighed  Lulu.  But  see 
ing  there  was  no  escape,  she  turned  to  her  tasks 
again,  and  when  her  father  came  in  according 
to  his  promise,  was  able  to  say  she  was  ready 
for  him  and  to  recite  in  a  creditable  manner. 
He  gave  the  accustomed  meed  of  praise,  smil 
ing  kindly  on  her  as  he  spoke.  "There, 


42  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

daughter,"  lie  added,  "you  see  what  you  can 
do  when  you  give  your  mind  to  your  work,  and 
I  hope  that  in  future  you  will  do  so  always  at 
the  proper  time." 

"I  hope  so,  papa;  I  do  really  mean  to  try," 
she  replied,  hanging  her  head  and  blushing. 
"Are  the  ladies  and  girls  all  gone?" 

"  Yes ;  some  time  ago,"  he  said.  "  I  am  sorry 
I  could  not  let  you  go  with  the  others,  as  I 
have  no  doubt  you  would  have  enjoyed  doing 
so." 

"I  hope  you  didn't  stay  at-home  just  to  hear 
my  lessons,  papa?"  she  said  regretfully. 

"I  might  possibly  have  gone  could  I  have 
taken  my  eldest  daughter  with  me,"  he  replied, 
"though  there  were  other  matters  calling  for 
my  attention.  However,"  he  added  with  a 
smile,  "  you  need  not  measure  my  disappoint 
ment  by  yours,  as  I  am  certain  it  was  not  nearly 
so  great." 

At  that  moment  a  servant  came  to  the  door  to 
tell  the  captain  that  a  gentleman  had  called  on 
business,  and  was  in  the  library  waiting  to  see 
him. 

"Very  well;  tell  him  I  will  be  there  pres 
ently,"  replied  Captain  Raymond.  Then  turn 
ing  to  Lulu,  "You  may  amuse  yourself  as  you 
like  for  an  hour,  then  prepare  your  lessons  for 
to-morrow." 

*  Yes,  sir,"  she  answered,  as  he  left  the  room, 


ELSIE  AT  VIA1IEDE.  43 

then  put  on  her  hat  and  taking  a  parasol  wan 
dered  out  upon  the  lawn. 

The  captain  had  been  giving  the  young  people 
some  lessons  in  botany,  and  the  girls  were  vie- 
ing  with  each  other  as  to  who  should  gather 
into  her  herbarium  the  largest  number  of  plants 
and  flowers,  particularly  such  as  were  to  be 
found  in  that" region,  but  never,  or  very  rarely, 
in  the  more  northern  one  they  called  their  home. 
Lulu  had  found,  and,  from  time  to  time,  placed 
in  her  herbarium,  several  which  she  highly 
prized  for  both  beauty  and  rarity,  and  now  she 
went  in  quest  of  others. 

She  had  scarcely  left  the  house  when,  much 
to  her  surprise,  she  met  her  baby  brother  and 
his  nurse. 

"Why,  Neddie  dear,  I  thought  you  had 

gone "  but  she  paused,  fearing  to  set  the 

child  to  crying  for  his  mother. 

"Marse  Ned's  sleeping  when  dey  goes,  Miss 
Lu;  I  spec's  dey '11  be  back  fo' long,"  said  the 
nurse;  and  catching  him  up  in  her  arms  she 
began  a  romping  play  with  him,  her  evident 
object  to  ward  off  thoughts  of  his  absent 
mother. 

Lulu  walked  *on,  spent  a  half  hour  or  more 
gathering  flowers,  then  returned  to  the  school 
room,  where  she  had  left  her  herbarium  lying  on 
her  desk.  But  Master  Ned,  there  before  her, 
had  pulled  it  down  on  the  floor,  where  he  sat 


44  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

tearing  out  the  plants  which  she  had  prepared 
and  placed  in  it  with  so  much  labor  and  care. 

At  that  trying  sight,  Lulu's  anger  flamed  out 
as  it  had  not  in  years ;  not  since  the  sad  time 
when  little  Elsie  was  so  nearly  sacrificed  to 
her  eldest  sister's  lack  of  self-control. 

"You  "naughty,  naughty,  naughty  boy!" 
she  exclaimed,  snatching  the  herbarium  from 
the  floor.  "I'd  just  like  to  shake  you  well,  and 
spank  you,  too.  You  deserve  it  richly,  for  you 
have  no  business  to  be  here  meddling  with  my 
things !" 

At  that  the  [baby  boy  set  up  a  wail.  Then 
their  father's  voice  was  heard  from  the  veranda 
outside.  "Come  here  to  papa,  Neddie  boy," 
and  the  little  fellow,  who  had  now  scrambled  to 
his  feet,  hastened  to  obey. 

Lulu  trembled  and  flushed  hotly.  "I  wish 
I'd  known  papa  was  so  near  and  I'd  kept  my 
temper,  too,"  she  sighed  ruefully  to  herself,  then 
set  to  work  to  repair  damages  to  the  best  of  her 
ability ;  but,  as  her  passion  cooled,  with  thoughts 
dwelling  remorsefully  upon  her  unkind  treat 
ment  of  her  baby  brother,  also  apprehensively 
on  the  consequent  displeasure  of  her  dearly  loved 
father.  She  loved  little  Ned  too,  and  heartily 
wished  she  had  been  more  gentle  and  forbearing 
toward  him.  ' 

But  her  hour  of  recreation  was  past,  and  with 
Ned's  baby  prattle  to  his  father,  as  he  sat  on  his 


ELSIE  AT  YIAMEDE.  45 

knee,  coming  to  her  ear  through  the  open  win 
dow,  she  sat  down  at  her  desk,  took  out  her 
books,  and  tried  to  study;  but  it  seemed  impos 
sible  to  fix  her  thoughts  upon  the  business  in 
hand,  and  presently  hearing  the  patter  of  the 
little  fellow's  feet  as  he  ran  along  the  veranda, 
then  out  into  the  garden,  she  sprang  up  and 
followed  him. 

"O  Neddie  dear,"  she  said,  catching  him  in 
her  arms  and  giving  him  a  hearty  kiss,  "  sister 
is  ever  so  sorry  she  was  cross  to  you.  Will  you 
forgive  her  and  love  her  still?" 

"Ess,"  returned  the  baby  boy  with  hearty 
good  will,  putting  his  chubby  arms  about  her 
neck  and  hugging  her  tight ;  then  cooing  sweetly, 
"Ned  'oves  oo,  Lu." 

"And  Lu  loves  you,  Neddie  darling,"  she  re 
turned,  kissing  him  again  and  again. 

Then  setting  him  down,  she  sped  back  to  the 
school-room,  took  'up  her  book,  and  made  an 
other  attempt  to  study;  but  without  success; 
laying  it  aside  again  almost  immediately,  she 
went  in  search  of  her  father. 

He  had  left  the  veranda,  but  going  on  into 
the  library,  she  found  him  in  an  easy  chair, 
with  a  newspaper  in  his  hand  which  he  seemed 
to  be  reading  with  great  attention,  for  he  did  not 
turn  his  head  or  eyes  toward  her  as  she  drew 
near  and  stood  at  his  side.  She  waited  longingly 
for  a  recognition  of  her  vicinity,  but  he  gave 


46  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

none,  seeming  too  intent  upon  his  paper  to  be 
aware  of  it ;  and  he  had  taught  her  that  she  must 
not  rudely  interrupt  him  or  any  grown  person 
so  engaged,  but  wait  patiently  till  her  presence 
was  noted  and  inquiry  made  as  to  what  she 
wished  to  say. 

The  five  or  ten  minutes  she  stood  silently 
waiting  seemed  a  long  time  to  her  impatient 
temperament.  "  Oh,  would  papa  never  give  her 
an  opportunity  to  speak  to  him?"  At  last, 
however,  as  he*  paused  in  his  reading  to  turn 
his  paper,  she  ventured  a  low  breathed,  "Papa." 

"  Go  instantly  to  your  own  room,  taking  your 
books  with  you,  Lucilla,  and  don't  venture  to 
leave  it  till  you  have  my  permission,"  he  said 
in  stern,  cold  accents,  and  without  giving  her 
so  much  as  a  glance. 

She  obeyed  in  silence.  Reaching  her  own 
room  she  again  opened  her  book  and  tried  to 
study;  but  found  herself  so  disturbed  in  mind 
that  it  was  wellnigh  impossible  to  take  in  the 
meaning  of  the  words  as  she  read  them  over 
and  over.  "I  can't  learn  these  lessons  till  I've 
made  it  up  with  papa,"  she  sighed  half  aloud, 
and  putting  down  the  book  opened  her  writing 
desk. 

In  a  few  minutes  she  had  written  a  very 
humble  little  note,  saying  how  sorry  she  was  for 
the  indulgence  of  her  passion  and  her  unkindness 
to  her  darling  little  brother;  but  that  she  had 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  47 

asked  and  received  his  forgiveness;  then  sought 
her  father  to  beg  him  to  forgive  her  too,  and 
tell  him  she  was  ready  to  submit  to  any  punish 
ment  he  thought  best  to  inflict.  But  oh,  might 
it  not  be  something  that  would  be  over  before 
the  rest  of  the  family  should  come  home  from 
their  drive? 

She  signed  herself  "Your  penitent  little 
daughter  Lulu,"  folded  the  note,  sealed  it  up  in 
an  envelope,  and  wrote  her  father's  name  on  the 
outside. 

She  could  hear  the  prattle  of  her  baby  brother 
coming  from  the  lawn.  Her  window  opened 
upon  an  upper  veranda,  and  going  out  there,  she 
called  softly,  "Ned,  Neddie  dear!" 

The  little  fellow  looked  up  and  laughed. 
"Lu!"  he  called;  then  catching  sight  of  the 
note  in  her  hand,  "What  oo  dot?"  he  queried. 

"A  letter  for  papa,"  she  replied.  "Will  you 
take  it  to  him  and  ask  him  to  please  read 
it?" 

"Ess;  fro  it  down,"  he  said,  holding  up  both 
hands  to  catch  it.  "Me  will  tate  it  to  papa." 

It  fell  on  the  grass  at  his  feet,  he  stooped  and 
picked  it  up,  then  trotted  away  with  it  in  his 
hand. 

Again  Lulu  took  up  her  book  and  tried  to 
study,  but  with  no  better  success  than  before. 
"What  will  papa  do  and  say  to  me?"  she  was 
asking  herself.  "  Oh,  I  hope  he  won't  keep  me 


48  ELSIE  AT  VIAXEVE. 

long  in  suspense!    I  don't  "believe  he  will;  he 
never  does,  and — ah,  yes,  I  hear  his  step." 

She  rose  hastily,  hurried  to  the  door  and 
opened  it.  He  stood  on  the  threshold. 
"Papa,"  she  said  humbly,  "I  am  very,  very 
sorry  I  was  passionate  and  cross  to  dear  little 
Ned." 

"As  I  am,"  he  replied,  stepping  in,  securing 
the  door,  then  taking  her  hand,  leading  her  to 
the  side  of  an  easy  chair  and  seating  himself 
therein.  "  I  was  deeply  grieved  to  hear  my  eldest 
daughter  speak  in  such  angry  words  and  pas 
sionate  tones  to  her  baby  brother,  ft  not  only 
gave  the  dear  little  fellow  pain,  but  set  him  a 
very  bad  example  which  I  greatly  fear  he  will 
follow  one  of  these  days,  so  giving  me  the  pain 
of  punishing  him  and  you  that  of  seeing  him 
punished !" 

"  Papa,  I  am  the  one  who  ought  to  be  pun 
ished,"  she  burst  out  in  her  vehement  way, 
"and  I  just  hope  you  will  punish  me  well. 
"But  oh,  please  don't  say  I  shall  not  go  to 
Cousin  Betty's  wedding,  or  not  be  one  of  her 
bridesmaids  or  maids  of  honor." 

He  made  no  reply  at  first.  There  was  a  mo 
ment's  silence,  then  she  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  papa, 
I  just  can't  bear  it!  I'd  even  rather  have  the 
severest  whipping  you  could  give  me." 

"You  are  a  little  too  old  for  that  now,"  he 
said  in  moved  tones,  drawing  her  to  a  seat  upon 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  49 

his  knee.  "  It  has  always  been  "to  me  a  hard 
trial  to  feel  called  upon  to  punish  my  dear  child 
in  that  way;  a  sad  task  to  have  to  do  so  in  any 
way ;  and  if  you  are  a  good  girl  from  now  on  to 
the  time  of  the  wedding,  you  may  accept  Betty's 
kind  invitation." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  sir !  thank  you  very  much'in- 
deed!"  she  exclaimed.  "I  don't  deserve  to  be 
allowed  to,  but  oh,  I  do  fully  intend  to  rule  my 
temper  better  in  future !" 

"  I  hope  so  indeed ;  but  you  will  not  succeed 
if  you  try  merely  in  your  own  strength.  Our 
sufficiency  is  of  God,  and  to  Him  alone  must 
we  look  for  strength  to  resist  temptation  and  be 
steadfast  in  fighting  the  good  fight  of  faith. 
Try,  my  dear  child,  to  be  always  on  your  guard ! 
'Watch  and  pray,'  is  the  Master's  command,  re 
peated  again  and  again.  'Take  ye  heed,  watch 
and  pray.'  .  .  .  'Watch  ye,  therefore.'  .  .  . 
'And  what  I  say  unto  you  I  say  unto  all, 
Watch.'  .  .  .  'Watch  ye  and  pray  lest  ye  enter 
into  temptation. '  " 

"  Papa,  I  do  really  mean  to  try  very  hard  to 
rule  my  own  spirit,"  she  said  humbly;  "I  have 
been  trying." 

"Yes,  dear  child,  I  have  not  been  blind  to 
your  efforts,"  he  returned  in  tender  tones.  "I 
know  you  have  tried,  and  I  believe  you  will  try 
still  harder,  and  will  at  length  come  off  con 
queror.  I  fear  I  have  not  been  so  patient  and  for- 


50  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

bearing  with  you  to-day  as  I  ought.  I  think  now 
I  should  have  let  you  speak  when  you  came  to 
me  in  the  library  a  while  ago.  Your  father  is  by 
no  means  perfect,  and  therefore  has  no  right  to 
expect  perfection  in  his  children." 

"  But  I  had  indulged  my  temper,  papa,  and 
did  deserve  to  be  punished  for  it." 

"Yes,  that  is  true.  But  it  is  all  forgiven 
BOW,  and  your  father  and  his  eldest  daughter  are 
at  peace  again,"  he  added,  giving  her  a  loving 
embrace. 

"And  that  makes  me  so  happy,"  she  said,  lift 
ing  her  dewy  eyes  to  his.  "  I  am  always  very 
far  from  happy  when  I  know  that  my  dear  father 
is  displeased  with  me." 

"You  love  him,  then?" 

"Oh,  yes,  yes,  indeed!  dearly!  dearly!"  she 
exclaimed,  putting  her  arms  about  his  neck 
and  laying  her  cheek  to  his. 

He  held  her  close  for  a  moment,  then 
saying,  "Now  I  want  you  to  spend  an  hour 
over  your  lessons  for  to-morrow,  after  which 
you  and  I  will  have  a  walk  together,"  he  left 
ier. 

By  tea  time  the  family  were  all  at  home  again, 
and  their  talk  at  the  table  was  almost  exclu 
sively  of  the  preparations  for  the  approaching 
wedding. 

"Mamma,"  said  Rosie  at  length,  "I  for  one 
•would  dearly  like  to  go  to  New  Orleans  and 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  51 

select  dress  and  ornaments  for  myself;  also  a 
present  for  Betty." 

"I  see  no  objection,  if  a  proper  escort  can  be 
provided,"  was  the  smiling  rejoinder. 

"Suppose  we  make  up  a  party  to  go  there, 
do  the  necessary  shopping,  and  visit  the  battle 
fields  and  everything  of  interest  connected  with 
them,"  suggested  Captain  Raymond.  "  We  can 
stay  a  day  or  two  if  necessary,  and  I  think  we'll 
all  feel  repaid." 

The  proposal  was  received  with  enthusiasm 
by  the  younger  portion  of  the  family,  and  even 
the  older  ones  had  nothing  to  say  against  it. 
Lulu  was  silent,  but  sent  a  very  wistful,  plead 
ing  look  in  her  father's  direction.  It  was 
answered  with  a  nod  and  smile,  and  her  face 
grew  radiant,  for  she  knew  that  meant  that  she 
would  be  permitted  to  take  the  little  trip  with 
the  others. 

"Dear  papa,  thank  you  ever  so  much,"  she 
said,  following  him  into  the  library  as  they  left 
the  table. 

"For  what?"  he  asked  jestingly,  laying  a 
hand  upon  her  head  and  smiling  down  into  the 
happy,  eager  face. 

"  Giving  me  permission  to  go  with  you  and 
the  rest  to  New  Orleans." 

"Ah,  did  I  do  that?"  he  asked,  sitting 
down  and  drawing  her  to  a  seat  upon  his  knee. 

"Not  in  words,  papa,  but  you  looked  it,"  sha 


52  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

returned  with  a  pleased  laugh,  putting  her  arm 
about  his  neck  and  kissing  him  with  ardent 
affection.  "Didn't  you,  now?" 

"I  don't  deny  that  I  did,  yet  it  depends 
largely  upon  the  good  conduct  of  my  eldest 
daughter,*'  he  said  in  a  graver  tone,  smoothing 
her  hair  caressingly  as  he  spoke.  "I  hope  she 
will  show  herself  so  sweet  tempered  and  obedient 
that  it  may  not  be  necessary  to  leave  her  be 
hind  because  she  is  lacking  in  those  good  quali 
ties." 

"Papa,"  she  replied  low  and  feelingly,  "I 
will  ask  God  to  help  me  to  be  patient  and 
good." 

"And  if  you  ask  for  Jesus'  sake,  pleading  his 
gracious  promise,  'If  ye  ask  anything  in  my 
name,  I  will  do  it,'  your  petition  will  be 
granted." 

At  that  moment  the  other  girls  came  running 
in,  Rose  saying  eagerly,  "Oh,  Brother  Levis, 
we  all  hope  yon  will  be  so  kind  as  to  go  on  with 
your  historical  stories  of  doings  and  happenings 
at  New  Orleans.  Please  treat  us  to  some  of 
them  to-night,  and  let  us  have  all  before  we 
visit  their  scenes,  won't  you?" 

"Certainly,  Sister  Rose,"  he  replied,  adding, 
"It  looks  very  pleasant  on  the  veranda  now. 
Shall  we  establish  ourselves  there?" 

"Yes,  sir,  if  you  please,"  she  said,  dancing 
away,  the  others  following. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  53 

Presently  all  were  quietly  seated,  the^-older 
people  almost  as  eager  for  the  story  as  were  the 
young,  and  the  captain  began. 

"  While  the  armies  before  New  Orleans  were 
burying  their  dead,  others  of  the  British  troops 
were  trying  to  secure  for  themselves  the  free 
navigation  of  the  Mississippi  below  the  city  by 
capturing  Fort  St.  Philip,  which  is  in  a  direct 
line  some  seventy  or  eighty  miles  lower  down 
the  stream,  and  was  considered  by  both  British 
and  Americans  as  the  key  of  the  State  of  Louisi 
ana. 

"  The  fort  was  at  that  time  garrisoned  by  three 
hundred  and  sixty-six  men  under  the  command 
of  Major  Overton  of  the  rifle  corps,  with  the 
addition  of  the  crew  of  a  gun-boat.  Just  about 
the  time  that  the  British  killed  in  the  battle  of 
New  Orleans  were  being  carried  by  the  Ameri 
cans  under  Jackson  to  their  comrades  for  burial, 
a  little  squadron  of  five  English  vessels  appeared 
before  the  fort  and  anchored  out  of  range  of  its 
heavy  guns,  the  bomb  vessels  with  their  broad 
sides  toward  it;  and  at  three  o'clock  they  opened 
fire  on  it.  Their  bombardment  went  on  with 
scarcely  a  pause  till  daybreak  of  the  18th,  when 
they  had  sent  more  than  a  thousand  shells,  using 
for  that  purpose  twenty  thousand  pounds  of 
powder.  They  had  sent,  too,  beside  the  shells, 
many  round  and  grape  shot. 

"During  those  nine  days  the  Americans  were 


54  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

in  their  battery ,  five  of  the  days  without  shelter, 
exposed  to  cold  and  rain  a  part  of  the  time;, 
but  only  two  of  them  were  killed  and  seven 
wounded. 

"On  the  18th,  the  British  gave  up  the  at 
tempt.  That  same  day  a  general  exchange  of 
prisoners  took  place,  and  that  night  the  British 
stole  noiselessly  away.  By  morning  they  had 
reached  Lake  Borgne,  sixty  miles  distant  from 
their  fleet. 

"They  could  not  have  felt  very  comfortable,. 
as  the  wintry  winds  to  which  they  were  ex 
posed  were  keen,  and  the  American  mounted 
men  under  Colonel  De  la  Ronde,  following 
them  in  their  retreat,  annoyed  them  not  a 
little. 

"The  British  remained  at  Lake  Borgne  until 
the  27th,  then  boarded  their  fleet,  which  lay  in 
the  deep  water  between  Ship  and  Cat  Islands. 

"  In  the  meantime  Jackson  had  been  guard 
ing  the  approach  to  New  Orleans  lest  they 
might  return  and  make  another  effort  against  it. 
But  on  leaving  that  vicinity  they  went  to  Fort 
Bowyer,  at  the  entrance  to  Mobile  Bay,  thirty 
miles  distant  from  the  city  of  that  name,  then 
but  a  village  of  less  than  one  thousand  inhab 
itants.  The  fort  is  now  called  Fort  Morgan. 

"It  was  but  a  weak  fortress,  without  bomb- 
proofs,  and  mounting  only  twenty  guns,  only 
two  of  them  larger  than  twelve  pounders,  some 


ELSIE  AT  VlAMEDE.  55 

of  them  less.     It  was  under  the  command  of 
Major  Lawrence. 

"  The  British  besieged  it  for  nearly  two  days, 
when  Lawrence,  a  gallant  officer,  was  compelled 
to  surrender  to  a  vastly  superior  force. 

"  It  is  altogether  likely  that  the  British  would 
then  have  gone  on  to  attack  Mobile,  had  not- 
news  come  of  the  treaty  of  peace  between  tL, 
United  States  and  Great  Britain. 

"The  news  of  Jackson's  gallant  defence  of 
New  Orleans  caused  intense  joy  all  over  the 
Union,  while  in  England  it  was  heard  with  as 
tonishment  and  chagrin." 

"They  didn't  know  before  how  Americans 
could  fight,"  said  Walter  with  a  look  of  ex 
ultation,  "and  they  have  never  attacked  us 
since." 

"No,"  said  his  mother,  "and  God  grant  that 
we  and  our  kinsmen  across  the  sea  may  ever 
henceforward  live  in  peace  with  each  other." 

"  It  seems  a  great  pity  that  the  news  of  peace 
had  not  come  in  time  to  prevent  that  dreadful 
battle  of  New  Orleans  and  the  after  fighting  of 
which  you  have  just  been  telling  us,  Captain," 
remarked  Evelyn. 

"Yes,"  he  replied;  "and  yet,  perhaps,  it  may 
have  been  of  use  in  preventing  another  struggle 
between  the  two  nations;  we  have  had  difficul 
ties  since,  but  fortunately  they  have  thus  far 
been  settled  without  a  resort  to  arms." 


56  ELSIE  AT  YIANEDE. 

*I  suppose  there  was  an  exchange  of  pris 
oners?"  Walter  said  inquiringly. 

"Yes,  though,  in  regard  to  some,  the  Dart 
moor  captives  in  especial,  it  was  strangely  slow." 
"Dartmoor,  papa?"  Grace  said  with  inquir 
ing  look  and  tone. 

"  Yes ;  Dartmoor  is  a  desolate  region  in  Dev 
onshire;  its  prison,  built  originally  for  French 
prisoners  of  war,  had  thirty  acres  of  ground 
enclosed  by  double  walls,  within  which  were 
seven  distinct  prisons. 

"At  the  close  of  the  War  of  1812-14  there 
were  about  six  thousand  prisoners  there,  twenty- 
five  hundred  of  them  impressed  American  sea 
men  who  had  refused  to  fight  against  their  coun 
try,  having  been  forced  into  the  British  Navy 
and  being  still  there  at  the  beginning  of  the 
struggle.  Some  of  the  poor  fellows,  though,  had 
been  in  Dartmoor  Prison  ten  or  eleven  years. 
Think  what  an  intense  longing  they  must  have 
felt  for  home  and  their  own  dear  native  land! 
How  unbearable  the  delay  to  liberate  them  must 
have  seemed !  They  were  not  even  permitted  to 
hear  of  the  treaty  of  peace  till  three  months  after 
it  had  been  signed.  But  after  hearing  of  it,  they 
were  in  daily  expectation  of  being  released,  and 
just  think  how  hope  deferred  must  have  made 
their  hearts  sick.  Some  of  them  showed  a  dis 
position  to  attempt  an  escape,  and  on  the  4th 
of  April  they  demanded  bread,  and  refused  to 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  57 

eat  the  hard  biscuits  that  were  given  them  in 
stead. 

"Two  evenings  later  they  very  reluctantly 
obeyed  orders  to  retire  to  their  quarters,  someiof 
them  showing  an  inclination  to  mutiny,  passing 
beyond  the  limits  of  their  confinement,  when,  by 
the  orders  of  Captain  Shortland,  commander  of 
the  prison,  they  were  fired  upon ;  then  the  firing 
was  repeated  by  the  soldiers  without  the  shadow 
of  an  excuse,  as  was  shown  by  the  impartial  re 
port  of  a  committee  of  investigation,  the  result 
of  which  was  the  killing  of  five  men  and  the 
wounding  of  thirty-three." 

"  I  hope  those  soldiers  were  hung  for  it !"  ex« 
claimed  Walter,  his  eyes  flashing. 

"No,"  replied  the  captain,  "the  British 
authorities  pronounced  it 'justifiable  homicide'; 
which  excited  the  hottest  indignation  on  this 
side  of  the  ocean ;  but  now  the  memory  of  it  has 
nearly  passed  away." 

"Now,  Brother  Levis,  if  you're  not  too  tired, 
won't  you  please  go  on  and  tell  us  all  about  the 
taking  of  New  Orleans  in  the  last  war?"  asked 
Walter,  looking  persuasively  into  the  cap 
tain's  face. 

"  Certainly,  if  all  wish  to  hear  it,"  was  the 
pleasant  toned  reply;  and  all  expressing  them 
selves  desirous  to  do  so,  he  at  once  began. 

"  Ship  Island  was  appointed  as  the  place  of 
rendezvous  for  both  land  and  naval  forces,  the 


58  j»jj8IE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

last  named  under  the  command  of  Captain 
David  G.  Farragut,  the  others  led  by  General 
Butler. 

"  Farragut  arrived  in  the  harbor  of  the  island, 
on  the  20th  of  February,  1862,  on  his  flag-ship, 
the  Hartford,  in  which  he  sailed  on  the  2d, 
from  Hampton  Roads,  Virginia,  but  sickness 
had  detained  him  for  a  time  at  Key  West. 

"  The  vessels  of  which  he  had  been  given  the 
command,  taken  collectively,  were  styled  the 
Western  Gulf  Squadron.  Farragut  had  been 
informed  that  a  fleet  of  bomb  vessels,  under 
Commander  David  D.  Porter,  would  be  attached 
to  his  squadron.  Porter  was  the  son  of  Com 
modore  David  Porter,  who  had  adopted  Farragut 
when  a  little  fellow  and  had  him  educated  for 
the  navy.  It  was  he  who  commanded  the  Essex 
in  the  War  of  1812,  and  Farragut  was  with 
him,  though  then  only  in  his  twelfth  year." 

"Then  he  must  have  been  past  sixty  at  the 
time  of  the  taking  of  New  Orleans,"  remarked 
Walter  reflectively. 

"He  and  Porter  joined  forces  at  Key  West," 
continued  the  captain.  "Porter's  fleet  had  been 
prepared  at  the  Navy  Yard  in  Brooklyn,  exciting 
much  interest  and  curiosity.  There  were  twenty- 
one  schooners  of  from  two  to  three  hundred  tons 
each ;  they  were  made  very  strong  and  to  draw 
as  little  water  as  possible.  Each  vessel  carried 
two  thirty -two  pounder  rifled  cannon,  and  was 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  5& 

armed  besides  with  mortars  of  eight  and  a  half 
tons  weight  that  would  throw  a  fifteen-inch  shell 
which,  when  filled,  weighed  two  hundred  and 
twelve  pounds. 

"  Farragut's  orders  were  to  proceed  up  the 
Mississippi,  reducing  the  forts  on  its  banks,  take 
possession  of  New  Orleans,  hoist  the  American 
flag  there,  and  hold  the  place  till  more  troops 
could  be  sent  him. 

"An  expedition  was  coming  down  the  river 
from  Cairo,  and  if  that  had  not  arrived  he  was 
to  take  advantage  of  the  panic  which  his  seizure 
of  New  Orleans  would  have  caused,  and  push  on 
up  the  river,  destroying  the  rebel  works.  His 
orders  from  the  Secretary  of  War  were,  'Destroy 
the  armed  barriers  which  these  deluded  people 
have  raised  up  against  the  power  of  the  United 
States  Government,  and  shoot  down  those  who 
war  against  the  Union;  but  cultivate  with  cor 
diality  the  first  returning  reason  which  is  sure 
to  follow  your  success.'  Farragut,  having  re 
ceived  these  orders,  at  once  began  carrying 
them  out,  with  the  aid  of  the  plans  of  the  works 
on  the  Mississippi  which  he  had  been  directed  to 
take,  particularly  of  Fort  St.  Philip,  furnished 
him  by  General  Barnard,  who  had  built  it  years 
before. 

"The  plan  made  and  carried  out  was  to  let 
Porter's  fleet  make  the  attack  upon  the  forts 
-first,  while  Farragut,  with  his  larger  and  stronger 


CO  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

vessels,  should  await  the  result  just  outside  the 
range  of  the  rebel  guns;  then,  when  Porter  had 
succeeded  in  silencing  them,  Farragut  was  to 
push  on  up  the  river,  clearing  it  of  Confederate 
vessels,  and  cutting  off  the  supplies  of  the  fort. 
That  accomplished,  Butler  was  to  land  his 
troops  in  the  rear  of  Fort  St.  Philip  and  try  to 
carry  it  by  assault.  Those  two  forts,  St.  Philip 
and  Jackson,  were  about  thirty  miles  from  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  Fort  Jackson  on  the  right 
bank,  and  Fort  St.  Philip  on  the  left. 

"Ship  Island,  the  place  of  rendezvous,  is  about 
one  hundred  miles  northeast  of  the  mouth  of 
the  Mississippi.  In  the  last  war  with  England, 
as  I  have  told  you,  St.  Philip  had  kept  the 
British  in  check  for  nine  days,  though  they 
threw  one  thousand  shells  into  it. 

"  Fort  Jackson  was  a  larger  fortification,  bas- 
tioned,  built  of  brick,  with  casemates  and  glacis, 
rising  twenty-five  feet  above  the  water.  Some 
French  and  British  officers,  calling  upon  Farra 
gut  before  the  attack,  having  come  from  among 
the  Confederates,  while  visiting  whom  they  had 
seen  and  examined  these  forts  with  their  de 
fences,  warned  him  that  to  attack  them  would 
only  result  in  sure  defeat;  but  the  brave  old 
hero  replied  that  he  had  been  sent  there  to  try  it 
on  and  would  do  so ;  or  words  to  that  effect. 

"  The  forts  had  one  hundred  and  fifteen  guns 
of  various  kinds  and  sizes,  mostly  smooth-bore 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  61 

thirty-two  pounders.  Above  them  lay  the  Con 
federate  fleet  of  fifteen  vessels,  one  of  them  an 
iron-clad  ram,  another  a  large,  unfinished  float 
ing  battery  covered  with  railroad  iron.  Two 
hundred  Confederate  sharp-shooters  kept  con 
stant  watch  along  the  river  banks,  and  several 
fire-rafts  were  ready  to  be  sent  down  among  the 
Federal  vessels.  Both  these  and  the  sharp 
shooters  were  below  the  forts.  Also  there  were 
two  iron  chains  stretched  across  the  river,  sup 
ported  upon  eight  hulks  which  were  anchored 
abreast. 

"  Farragut's  naval  expedition  was  the  largest 
that  had  ever  sailed  under  the  United  States  flag, 
consisting  of  six  sloops  of  war,  twenty-one  mor 
tar  schooners,  sixteen  gun-boats,  and  other  ves 
sels,  carrying  in  all  two  hundred  guns. 

"But  the  vessels  were  built  for  the  sea  and 
were  now  to  work  in  a  much  narrower  space — 
a  river  with  a  shifting  channel  and  obstructed  by 
shoals. 

"  To  get  the  larger  vessels  over  the  bar  at  the 
southwest  pass  was  a  work  of  time  and  great 
labor.  They  had  to  be  made  as  light  as  possible 
and  then  dragged  through  a  foot  of  mud.  Two 
weeks  of  such  labor  was  required  to  get  the 
Pensacola  over,  and  the  Colorado  could  not 
be  taken  over  at  all. 

"The  mortar  vessels  were  towed  up  stream 
and  began  to  take  their  places.  Porter  disguised 


62  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

them  with'mud  and  the  branches  of  trees,  so  that 
they  could  not  be  readily  distinguished  from 
the  river  banks,  being  moored  under  cover  of 
the  woods  on  the  bank  just  below  Fort  Jackson. 
The  stratagem  was  successful;  his  vessels  were 
moored  where  he  wished  to  have  them,  the 
nearest  being  two  thousand  eight  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  from  Fort  Jackson,  and  three  thou 
sand  six  hundred  and  eighty  from  Fort  St. 
Philip. 

"  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  and  a  little 
farther  from  the  forts,  Porter  had  his  six  re 
maining  vessels  stationed,  screening  them  also 
with  willows  and  reeds,  and  mooring  them  under 
cover  of  the  woods  to  conceal  their  true  char 
acter. 

"On  the  18th  of  .April,  before  nine  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  the  attack  was  begun  by 
a  .shot  from  Fort  Jackson,  then,  as  soon  as  Porter 
was  ready,  the  Owasco  opened  fire,  and  the 
fourteen  mortar  boats  concealed  by  the  woods, 
also  the  six  in  full  sight  of  the  forts,  began  their 
bombardment. 

"The  gun-boats  took  part  in  the  conflict  by 
iunning  up  and  firing  heavy  shells  when  the 
mortars  needed  relief.  Porter  was  on  the  ^Har 
riet  Xane,  in  a  position  to  see  what  was  the 
effect  of  the  shells,  and  direct  their  aim  accord 
ingly- 

"The  fight  went  on  for  several  days,    then 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  »S3 

Parragut,  deeming  there  was  small  prospect  of 
reducing  the  forts,  prepared  to  carry  out  another 
part  of  his  instructions  by  running  past  them. 
He  called  a  council  of  the  captains  in  the  cabin 
of  the  Hartford,  and  it  was  then  and  there 
decided  that  the  attempt  should  be  made. 

"It  was  an  intensely  dark  night,  the  wind 
blowing  fiercely  'from  the  north,  but  Com 
mander  Bell  with  the  Winona,  the  Itasca,  Ken- 
nebec,  Iroquois,  and  the  Pinola  ran  up  to  the 
boom.  The  Pinola  ran  to  the  hulk  under  the 
guns  of  Fort  Jackson,  and  an  effort  was  made  to 
destroy  it  with  a  petard,  but  failed.  The  Itasca 
was  lashed  to  the  next  hulk,  but  a  rocket  sent 
up  from  the  fort  showed  her  to  the  foe,  who 
immediately  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  her.  But 
half  an  hour  of  active  work  with  chisels,  saws, 
and  sledges  parted  the  boom  of  chains  and 
logs,  and  the  hulk  to  which  she  was  attached 
swung  round  and  grounded  her  in  the  mud  in 
shallow  water.  But  the  Pinola  rescued  her. 

"Two  hours  later  an  immense  fire-raft  came 
roaring  down  the  stream,  but,  like  those  sent  be 
fore,  it  was  caught  by  our  men  and  rendered 
harmless.  They  would  catch  such  things  with 
grappling-irons,  tow  them  to  the  shore,  and  leave 
them  there  to  burn  out  harmlessly. 

"  Day  after  day  the  bombardment  went  on, 
fire-rafts  coming  down  the  river  every  night, 
but  Fort  Jackson  still  held  out,  though  its  cit« 


64  ELSIE  AT  VIANEDE. 

adel  had  been  set  on  fire  by  the  shells"  from  the 
mortar  boats,  and  all  the  commissary  stores 
and  the  clothing  of  the  men  destroyed;  also  the 
levee  had  been  broken  in  scores  of  places  by  the 
exploding  shells,  so  that  the  waters  of  the 
river  flooded  the  parade  ground  and  case 
mates. 

"By  sunset  on  the  23d,  Farragut  was  ready 
for  his  forward  movement,  but  Porter,  with  his 
mortar  boats,  was  to  stay  and  cover  the  advance 
with  his  fire.  Farragut,  on  board  his  flag-ship, 
the  Hartford,  was  to  lead  the  way  with  it,  the 
Brooklyn,  and  the  Richmond. 

"These  vessels  formed  the  first  division,  and 
were  to  keep  near  the  right  bank  of  the  river, 
fighting  Fort  Jackson,  while  Captain  Theodo- 
rus  Bailey  was  to  keep  close  to  the  western  bank 
with  his  (the  second)  division,  to  fight  Fort  St. 
Philip.  His  vessels  were  the  Mississippi,  Pen- 
sacola,  Varuna,  Oneida,  Katahdln,  Kineo, 
Wissahickon,  Portsmouth. 

"  Captain  Bell  still  commanded  the  same  ves 
sels  which  I  just  mentioned  as  his,  and  his  ap 
pointed  duty  was  to  attack  the  Confederate 
fleet  above  the  forts,  to  keep  the  channel  of  the 
river,  and  push  right  on,  paying  no  attention 
to  the  forts  themselves. 

"In  obedience  to  these  orders,  the  Itasca  ran 
tip  to  the  boom,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  showed  a 
night  signal  that  the  channel  was  clear  of  ob- 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  65 

struction  excepting  the  hulks,  which,  with  care, 
might  be  passed  safely. 

"  A  heavy  fog,  and  the  settling  of  the  smoke 
from  the  steamers  upon  the  waters,  made  the 
night  a  very  dark  one.  No  sound  came  from 
the  forts,  yet  active  preparations  were  going  on 
in  them  for  the  approaching  struggle,°and  their 
fleet  was  stationed  near  them  in  readiness  to 
assist  in  the  effort  to  prevent  the  Union  vessels 
from  ascending  the  river. 

"At  one  o'clock  every  one  on  the  Union  ships 
was  called  to  action,  but  the  fleet  remained 
stationary  until  two,  and  at  half  past  three  Farra- 
gut's  and  Bailey's  divisions  were  moving  up  the 
river,  each  on  its  appointed  side,  and  at  the  rate 
of  four  miles  an  hour. 

"Then  Porter's  mortars,  still  at  their  moor 
ings  below  the  forts,  opened  upon  those  forts  a 
terrible  storm,  sending  as  many  as,  if  not  more 
than,  half  a  dozen  shells,  with  their  fiery  trails, 
screaming  through  the  air  at  the  same  mo 
ment. 

"  But  no  sound  came  from  the  forts  until  they 
discovered  Captain  Bailey's  ship,  the  Cayuga, 
just  as  she  had  passed  the  boom,  when  they 
brought  their  heavy  guns  to  bear  upon  her,  and 
broke  the  long  silence  with  their  roar. 

"When  she  was  close  under  Fort  St.  Philip 
she  replied  with  heavy  broadsides  of  grape  and 
canister  as  she  passed  on  up  the  river. 


66  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"The  other  vessels  of  Bailey's  division  fol 
lowed  closely  after,  each  imitating  the  Cayuga's 
example  in  delivering  a  broadside  as  she  passed 
the  forts,  which  they  did  almost  unharmed,  with 
the  exception  of  the  Portsmouth,  a  sailing  ves 
sel,  which  lost  her  tow,  on  firing  her  broadside, 
and  drifted  down  the  river. 

"  Captain  Bell  and  his  division  were  not  quite 
BO  fortunate.  Three  of  his  vessels  passed  the 
forts,  but  the  Itasca  received  a  storm  of  shot, 
one  of  which  pierced  her  boiler,  and  she  drifted 
helplessly  down  the  river.  The  Kcnnebec  lost 
her  way  among  the  obstructions  and  went  hack 
to  her  moorings  below;  the  Winona,  too,  re 
coiled  from  the  storm. 

"In  the  meantime,  Farragut  was  in  the  fore 
rigging  of  the  Hartford,  watching  with  intense 
interest,  through  his  night  glass,  the  move 
ments  of  the  vessels  under  the  command  of 
Bailey  and  Bell,  while  the  vessels  he  com 
manded  in  person  were  slowly  nearing  Fort 
Jackson.  He  was  within  a  mile  and  a  quarter 
of  it  when  its  heavy  guns  opened  upon  him. 
They  were  well  aimed,  and  the  Hartford  was 
struck  several  times. 

"  Farragut  replied  with  two  guns  which  he 
had  placed  upon  his  forecastle,  while  at  the 
same  time  he  pushed  on  directly  for  the  fort. 
When  within  a  half  mile  of  it  he  sheered  off 
and  gave  them  heavy  broadsides  of  grape  and 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  67 

canister;  so  heavy  that  they  were  driven  from 
all  their  barbette  guns.  But  the  casemate  guns 
were  kept  in  full  play,  and  the  fight  became  a 
very  severe  one. 

"The  Richmond  soon  joined  in  it;  the  Brook 
lyn  got  entangled  with  some  of  the  hulks  that 
bore  up  the  chain,  and  so  lagged  behind.  She 
had  just  succeeded  in  freeing  herself  from  them 
when  the  Confederate  ram  Manassas  came  furi 
ously  down  upon  her,  and  when  within  about 
ten  feet,  fired  a  heavy  bolt  at  her  from  its  trap 
door,  aiming  for  her  smoke  stack ;  but  fortu 
nately  the  shot  lodged  in  some  sand-bags  that 
protected  her  steam-drum. 

"  The  next  moment  the  ram  butted  into  the 
Brooklyn's  starboard  gangway ;  but  she  was  so 
effectually  protected  by  chain  armor  that  the 
Manassas  glanced  off  and  disappeared  in  the 
darkness. 

"All  this  time  a  raking  fire  from  the  fort  had 
been  pouring  upon  the  Brooklyn,  and  just  as  she 
escaped  from  the  Manassas  a  large  Confederate 
steamer  attacked  her.  She  pushed  slowly  on  in 
the  darkness,  after  giving  the  steamer  a  broad 
side  that  set  it  on  fire  and  speedily  destroyed 
it,  and  suddenly  found  herself  abreast  of  Fort  St. 
Philip. 

"She  was  very  close  to  it,  and  speedily 
brought  all  her  guns  to  bear  upon  it  in  a 
tremendous  broadside. 


•8  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

""In  his  report  Captain  Craven  said,  *I  had 
the  satisfaction  of  completely  silencing  that 
work  before  I  left  it,  my  men  in  the  tops  witness 
ing,  in  the  flashes  of  the  shrapnel,  the  enemy 
running  like  sheep  for  more  comfortable  quar 
ters.  ' 

"  While  the  Brooklyn  was  going  through  all 
this,  Farragut  was  having  what  he  called  'a 
rough  time  of  it. '  While  he  was  battling  with 
the  forts,  a  huge  fire-raft,  pushed  by  the  Ma- 
nassas,  came  suddenly  upon  him  all  ablaze,  and 
in  trying  to  avoid  it  the  Hartford  got  aground, 
and  the  incendiary  came  crashing  alongside  of 
her. 

"In  telling  of  it  Farragut  said,  'In  a  moment 
the  ship  was  one  blaze  all  along  the  port  side, 
half  way  up  the  main  and  mizzen  tops.  But 
thanks  to  the  good  organization  of  the  fire  de 
partment^  by  Lieutenant  Thornton,  the  flames 
were  extinguished,  and  at  the  same  time  we 
backed  off  and  got  clear  of  the  raft.  All  this 
time  we  were  pouring  shells  into  the  forts  and 
they  into  us;  now  and  then  a  rebel  steamer 
would  get  under  our  fire  and  receive  our  saluta 
tion  of  a  broadside. '  The  fleet  had  not  fairly 
passed  the  forts  when  the  Confederate  ram  and 
gun-boats  hastened  to  take  part  in  the  battle. 

"The  scene  was  now  both  grand  and  awful. 
Just  think  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  great  guns 
and  twenty  mortars  constantly  firing,  and  shells 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  69 

exploding  in  and  around  the  forts;  it 'shook 
land  and  water  like  an  earthquake,'  Lossing 
tells  us,  'and  the  surface  of  the  river  was  strewn 
with  dead  and  helpless  fishes.'  Major  Bell,  of 
Butler's  staff,  wrote  of  it,  'Combine  all  that 
you  have  ever  heard  of  thunder,  and  add  to  it 
all  you  have  ever  seen  of  lightning,  and  you 
have,  perhaps,  a  conception  of  the  scene. 
And,'  continues  our  historian,  'all  this  de 
structive  energy,  the  blazing  fire-rafts  and  float 
ing  volcanoes  sending  forth  fire  and  smoke  and 
bolts  of  death,  the  thundering  forts,  and  the 
ponderous  rams,  were  crowded,  in  the  greatest 
darkness  just  before  dawn,  within  the  space  of 
a  narrow  river,  "too  narrow,"  said  Farragut, 
"for  more  than  two  or  three  vessels  to  act  to 
advantage.  My  greatest  fear  was  that  we 
should  fire  into  each  other;  and  Captain  Wain- 
wright  and  myself  were  hallooing  ourselves 
hoarse  at  the  men  not  to  fire  into  our  ships." 

"The  Cayuga  met  the  flotilla  of  Confederate 
Tarns  and  gun-boats  as  soon  as  she  passed  Fort 
St.  Phillip.  For  a  few  minutes  there  were 
eighteen  Confederate  vessels  intent  upon  her 
destruction." 

"Was  the  Manassas  one  of  the  eighteen, 
sir?"  queried  Walter. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  captain,  "and  the  float 
ing  battery  Louisiana  was  another.  Captain 
Mitchell  was  the  name  of  her  commander,  and 


VO  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

he  was  also  commandant  of  the  remaining  six 
teen  vessels  of  that  rebel  fleet. 

"  Captain  Bailey  could  not  fight  so  many  at 
once  without  some  assistance,  so  used  his  skill 
in  avoiding  the  butting  of  the  rams  and  the 
efforts  to  board  his  vessel.  At  the  same  time 
he  was  making  such  good  use  of  his  guns  that, 
while  saving  his  own  vessels,  he  compelled  three 
of  the  Confederate  gun-boats  to  surrender  to  him 
before  Captain  Boggs  and  Captain  Lee,  of  the 
Varuna  and  the  Oneida  came  to  his  assistance. 

"  The  Cayuga  had  then  been  struck  forty-two 
times  and  a  good  deal  damaged  in  spars  and  rig 
ging,  but,  in  accordance  with  Farragut's  orders, 
she  moved  up  the  river  as  leader  of  the  fleet. 

"  It  was  upon  the  Varuna  that  the  enemy  next 
poured  out  the  vials  of  his  wrath.  In  his  report 
of  the  fight  Captain  Boggs,  her  commander,  said 
that  immediately  after  passing  the  forts  he 
found  himself  'amid  a  nest  of  rebel  steamers.' 
He  rushed  into  their  midst,  giving  each  a  broad 
side  as  he  passed.  The  first  of  those  steamers 
seemed  to  be  crowded  with  troops.  One  of  the 
Varuna's  shots  exploded  her  boiler  and  she 
drifted  ashore.  Next  a  gun-boat  and  three 
other  vessels  were  driven  ashore  in  flames,  and 
presently  they  blew  up,  one  after  another. 

"Then  the  Varuna  was  furiously  attacked  by 
the  Governor  Moore,  commanded  by  Beverly 
Kennon,  one  who  had  left  the  United  States 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  71 

service  for  that  of  the  rebels.  His  vessel  raked 
along  the  Varuna's  port,  killing  four  men  and 
wounding  nine.  Captain  Boggs  sent  a  three- 
inch  shell  into  her,  abaft  her  armor,  and  several 
shots  from  the  after  rifled  gun,  which  partially 
disabled  her,  and  she  dropped  out  of  action. 

"In  the  meantime,  another  ram  struck  the 
Varuna  under  water  with  its  iron  prow,  giving 
her  a  heavy  blow  in  the  port  gangway.  The 
Varuna  answered  with  a  shot,  but  it  glanced 
harmlessly  from  the  armored  prow  of  the  rebel 
ram,  and  it,  backing  off  a  shorting  distance, 
shot  forward  again,  gave  the  Vanma  another 
blow  in  the  same  place,  and  crushed  in  her  side. 

"  But  the  ram  had  become  entangled,  and  was 
drawn  around  to  the  side  of  the  Varuna,  and 
Captain  Boggs  gave  her  five  eighteen  shells 
abaft  her  armor  from  his  port  guns.  In  telling 
of  it  afterward  he  said,  'This  settled  her  and 
drove  her  ashore  in  flames. ' 

"But  his  own  vessel  was  sinking;  so  he  ran 
her  into  the  bank,  let  go  her  anchor,  and  tied 
her  bow  up  to  the  trees,  but  all  the  time  kept  his 
guns  at  work  crippling  the  Moore. 

"He  did  not  cease  firing  till  the  water  was  over 
the  gun-tracks,  but  then  turned  his  attention  to 
getting  his  wounded  and  the  crew  out  of  the 
vessel. 

"Just  then,  Captain  Lee,  commander  of  the 
Oneida,  came  to  his  assistance.  But  Boggs 


72  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

waved  him  after  the  Moore,  which  was  then  in 
flames  and  presently  surrendered  to  the  Oneida. 
Kennon,  her  commander,  had  done  a  cowardly 
deed  in  setting  her  on  fire  and  fleeing,  leaving 
his  wounded  to  the  horrible  fate  of  perishing  in 
the  flames.  The  surrender  was,  therefore,  made 
by  her  second  officer. 

"That  ended  the  fight  on  the  Mississippi 
River;  it  had  been  a  desperate  one,  but  lasted 
only  an  hour  and  a  half,  though  nearly  the  whole 
of  the  rebel  fleet  was  destroyed.  The  National 
loss  was  thirty  killed  and  not  more  than  one, 
hundred  and  twenty-five  wounded." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CAPTAIN  RAYMOND  paused,  seemingly  lost 
in  thought.  All  waited  in  silence  for  a  mo 
ment,  then  Violet,  laying  a  hand  on  his  arm, 
for  she  was  seated  close  at  his  side,  said  with  a 
loving  smile  into  his  eyes: 

"My  dear,  I  fear  we  have  been  tiring  you." 

"  Oh  no,  not  at  all !"  he  replied,  coming  out 
of  his  revery  and  taking  possession  of  the  pretty 
hand  with  a  quiet  air  of  ownership. 

"I  am  sure  nobody  else  is,"  said  Walter;  "so 
please  go  on,  sir,  won't  you?  and  tell  us  all 
about  the  taking  of  the  forts  and  the  city." 

"I  will,"  replied  the  captain.  "By  the  way, 
I  want  to  tell  you  about  a  powder  boy  on  board 
of  the  Varuna,  Oscar  Peck,  a  lad  of  only  thir 
teen  years,  who  showed  coolness  and  bravery 
which  would  have  entitled  a  man  to  praise. 

"Captain  Boggs  was  very  much  pleased 
with  him,  and  in  his  report  to  Farragut  praised 
him  warmly.  He  said  that  seeing  the  lad  pass 
quickly  he  asked  where  he  was  going  in  such 
a  hurry.  '  To  get  a  passing  box,  sir, '  replied  the 
lad;  'the  other  was  smashed  by  a  ball.'  When 
the  Varuna  went  down  Oscar  disappeared.  He 

73 


'74  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

had  been  standing  by  one  of  the  guns  and  was 
thrown  into  the  water  by  the  movement  of  the 
vessel.  But  in  a  few  minutes  he  was  seen 
swimming  toward  the  wreck.  Captain  Boggs 
was  standing  on  a  part  of  the  ship  that  was  still 
above  water,  when  the  lad  climbed  up  by  his 
side,  gave  the  usual  salute,  and  said,  'All  right, 
sir,  I  report  myself  on  board.' ' 

"Ah,"  cried  Walter  exultantly,  "he  was  a 
plucky  American  boy!  I'm  proud  of  him." 

"Yes,"  said  the  captain,  "and  the  more  men 
and  boys  we  have  of  a  similar  spirit  the  better 
for  our  dear  land. 

"But  to  go  on  with  my  story.  Captain  Bailey 
moved  on  up  the  river  with  his  crippled  vessel, 
the  Cayuga,  leaving  the  Varuna  to  continue  the 
fight  at  the  forts. 

"A  short  distance  above  Fort  St.  Philip 
was  the  Quarantine  Station.  Opposite  to  it 
was  a  Confederate  battery  in  charge  of  several 
companies  of  sharp-shooters,  commanded  by 
Colonel  Szymanski,  a  Pole. 

"On  perceiving  the  approach  of  iheCayuga, 
they  tried  to  flee,  but  a  volley  of  canister-shot 
from  her  guns  called  a  halt,  and  they  were  taken 
prisoners  of  war. 

"  By  that  time  the  battle  at  the  forts  was  over 
and  the  remaining  twelve  ships  presently  joined 
the  Cayuga.  Then  the  dead  were  carried  ashore 
and  buried." 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  75 

"And  where  was  Butler  all  this  time,  sir?" 
queried  Walter. 

"  He  had  been  busy  preparing  for  his  part  of 
the  work  while  the  naval  officers  were  doing 
theirs,"  was  the  reply.  "His  men  were  in  the 
transports  at  the  passes  and  could  hear  distinctly 
the  booming  of  the  guns  and  mortars,  but  the 
general  was  at  that  time  on  the  /Saxon,  which 
was  following  close  in  the  rear  of  Bailey's  divi 
sion,  until  the  plunging  of  shot  and  shell  into 
the  water  around  her  warned  Butler  that  he  had 
gone  far  enough.  He  then  ordered  the  Saxon 
to  drop  a  little  astern,  an  order  which  was  by  no 
means  disagreeable  to  her  captain  and  was 
promptly  obeyed,  for  he  had  on  board  eight 
hundred  barrels  of  gunpowder;  a  dangerous 
cargo,  indeed,  when  exposed  to  the  fiery  missiles 
of  the  enemy." 

"Wasn't it?"  exclaimed  Rosie. 

"Where  was  Porter  just  then,  sir?"  asked 
Walter. 

"  He  and  his  mortar  fleet  were  still  below  the 
forts,"  replied  the  captain,  "and  just  as  Butler 
had  ordered  his  vessel  away  from  that  danger 
ous  spot,  the  rebel  monitor  Manassas  came  mov 
ing  down  into  the  midst  of  his  fleet.  She  had 
just  been  terribly  pounded  by  the  Mississippi 
and  was  a  helpless  wreck,  but  that  was  not  per 
ceived  at  first,  and  some  of  the  mortars  opened 
fire  upon  her,  but  stopped  when  they  saw  what 


76  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

was  her  condition :  her  hull  battered  and  pierced, 
her  pipes  twisted  and  riddled  by  shot,  smoke 
pouring  from  every  opening.  In  a  few  minutes 
her  only  gun  went  off,  flames  burst  out  from 
stern,  trap-door,  and  bow  port,  and  she  went 
hissing  to  the  bottom  of  the  river. 

"Butler  now  hurried  to  his  transports  and 
took  them  to  Sable  Island,  twelve  miles  in  the 
rear  of  Fort  St.  Philip.  From  there  they 
went  in  small  boats,  through  the  narrow  and 
shallow  bayous,  piloted  by  Lieutenant  Weitzel. 
It  was  a  most  fatiguing  journey,  the  men  some 
times  having  to  drag  their  boats  through  cold, 
muddy  water  waist  deep.  But  the  brave,  patri 
otic  fellows  worked  on  with  a  will,  and  by  the 
night  of  the  27th  they  were  at  the  Quarantine, 
ready  to  begin  the  assault  on  Fort  St.  Philip 
the  next  day,  when  they  were  landed  under 
cover  of  the  guns  of  the  Mississippi  and  the 
Elneo.  Butler  sent  a  small  force  to  !:the  other 
side  of  the  river  above  Fort  Jackson,  which 
Porter  had  been  pounding  terribly  with  the 
shells  from  his  mortars.  On  the  26th,  Porter 
sent  a  flag  of  truce  with  a  demand  for  the  sur 
render  of  the  fort,  saying  that  Farragut  had 
reached  New  Orleans  and  taken  possession. 

"  Colonel  Higginson,  the  commander  of  the 
fort,  replied  that  he  had  no  official  report  of 
that  surrender,  and  that  until  he  should  receive 
such  he  would  not  sun-render  the  fort;  he 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  77 

could  not  entertain  such  a  proposition  for  a 
moment. 

"On  the  same  day,  General  Duncan,  com 
mander  of  the  coast  defences,  but  at  that  time 
in  Fort  Jackson,  sent  out  an  address  to  the  sol 
diers,  saying,  'The  safety  of  New  Orleans  and 
the  cause  of  the  Southern  Confederacy,  our 
homes,  families,  and  everything  dear  to  man 
yet  depend  upon  our  exertions.  We  are  just 
as  capable  of  repelling  the  enemy  to-day  as 
we  were  before  the  bombardment.' 

"  Thus  he  urged  them  to  fight  on.  But  they 
did  not  all  agree  with  the  views  he  expressed. 
They  could  see  the  blackened  fragments  of  ves 
sels  and  other  property  strewing  the  waters  of 
the  river  as  it  flowed  swiftly  by,  and  the  sight 
convinced  them  of  the  truth  of  the  report  which 
had  reached  them  of  the  fall  of  New  Orleans. 
They  had  heard,  too,  of  the  arrival  of  Butler's 
troops  in  the  rear  of  Fort  St.  Philip. 

"Doubtless  they  talked  it  all  over  among 
themselves  that  night,  as  a  large  number  of 
them  mutined,  spiked  the  guns  bearing  up  the 
river,  and  the  next  day  went  out  and  surren 
dered  themselves  to  Butler's  pickets  on  that  side 
of  the  river,  saying  they  had  been  impressed, 
and  would  not  fight  the  government  any  longer. 
Their  loss  made  the  surrender  of  the  fort  a  ne 
cessity,  and  Colonel  Higginson  accepted  the  gen 
erous  terms  offered  him  by  Porter.  He  and 


78  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

Duncan  went  on  board  the  Harriet  Lane  and 
the  terms  of  surrender  were  reduced  to  writing. 

"  While  that  was  going  on  in  her  cabin,  a  das 
tardly  deed  was  done  by  the  Confederate  officer 
Mitchell,  who,  as  I  have  said,  commanded  the 
battery  called  the  Louisiana.  It  lay  above  the 
forts.  He  had  it  towed  out  into  the  strong  cur 
rent,  set  on  fire  and  abandoned,  leaving  the  guns 
all  shotted,  expecting  she  would  float  down  and 
explode  among  Porter's  mortar  fleet ;  but  a  good 
Providence  caused  the  explosion  to  come  before 
she  reached  the  fleet.  It  took  place  when  she 
was  abreast  of  Fort  St.  Philip,  and  a  sol.dier, 
one  of  its  garrison,  was  killed  by  a  flying  frag 
ment.  Then  she  went  to  the  bottom,  and  the 
rest  of  the  Confederate  steamers  surrendered. 

"Porter  and  his  mortar  fleet  were  still  below 
the  forts,  but  Farragut  had  now  thirteen  of  his 
Tessels  safely  above  them  and  was  ready  to 
move  upon  New  Orleans. 

"Half  an  hour  after  he  reached  the  Quaran 
tine,  he  sent  Captain  Boggs  to  Butler  with 
despatches.  Boggs  went  in  a  small  boat  through 
shallow  bayous  in  the  rear  of  Fort  St.  Philip, 
and,  as  I  have  already  said,  the  next  day  Butler 
and  his  troops  arrived  at  the  Quarantine  in 
readiness  to  assault  the  forts. 

"  Fort  St.  Philip  was  as  perfect  when  taken 
by  the  Union  forces  as  before  the  fight,  and  Fort 
Jackson  was  injured  only  in  its  interior  works. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  79 

"The  entire  loss  of  the  Nationals  in  all  this 
fighting  was  40  killed  and  177  wounded.  No 
reliable  report  was  given  of  the  Confederate 
losses  in  killed  and  wounded.  The  number  of 
prisoners  amounted  to  nearly  one  thousand. 

"  General  Lovell,  who  had  command  of  the 
Confederate  troops  at  New  Orleans,  had  gone 
down  the  river  in  his  steamer  Doubloon,  and  ar 
rived  just  as  the  National  fleet  was  passing  the 
forts.  He  was  near  being  captured  in  the  ter 
rible  fight  that  followed,  but  escaped  to  the 
shore  and  hurried  back  to  New  Orleans  :as  fast 
as  courier  horses  could  carry  him. 

"  A  rumor  of  the  fight  and  its  results  had  al 
ready  reached  the  city,  and  when  he  confirmed 
it  a  scene  of  wild  excitement  ensued;  soldiers 
hurried  to  and  fro,  women  were  in  the  street 
bareheaded,  brandishing  pistols,  and  screaming, 
'Burn  the  city!  Never  mind  us!  Burn  the 
city!' 

' '  Merchants  fled  from  their  stores,  and  military 
officers  impressed  vehicles  to  carry  cotton  to  tta 
levees  to  be  burned.  Four  millions  of  dollars  in 
specie  was  sent  out  of  the  city  by  railway ;  for 
eigners  crowded  to  the  consulates  to  deposit 
money  and  other  valuables  for  safety,  and 
Twiggs,  the  traitor,  fled,  leaving  to  the  care  of 
a  young  woman  the  two  swords  that  had  been 
awarded  him  for  his  services  in  Mexico. 

"  Lovell  believed  that  he  had  not  a  sufficient 


80  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

number  of  troops  to  defend  the  city,  and  con 
vinced  the  city  authorities  that  such  was  the 
fact.  Then  he  proceeded  to  disband  the  con 
scripts  and  to  send  munitions  of  war,  stores  of 
provisions,  and  other  valuable  property  to  the 
country  by  railroad  and  steamboats.  Some  of 
the  white  troops  went  to  Camp  Moore,  seventy- 
eight  miles  distant,  by  the  railroad,  but  the 
negro  soldiers  refused  to  go. 

"The  next  morning  Farragut  came  on  up  the 
river,  meeting  on  the  way  blazing  ships  filled 
with  cotton  floating  down  the  stream.  Then 
presently  he  discovered  the  Chalmette  batteries 
on  both  sides  of  the  river  only  a  few  miles  be 
low  the  city.  The  river  was  so  full  that  the 
waters  gave  him  complete  command  of  those 
confederate  works,  and,  causing  his  vessels  to 
move  in  two  lines,  he  set  himself  to  the  task  of 
disabling  them. 

"  Captain  Bailey  in  the  Cayuga  was  pressing 
gallantly  forward  and  did  not  notice  the  signal 
to  the  vessels  to  move  in  close  order.  He  was 
so  far  ahead  of  the  others  that  the  fire  of  the 
enemy  was  for  a  time  concentrated  upon  his 
vessel;  for  twenty  minutes  she  sustained  a 
heavy  cross  fire  alone.  But  Farragut  hastened 
forward  with  the  Hartford,  and,  as  he  passed 
the  Cayuga,  he  gave  the  batteries  heavy  broad 
sides  of  grape,  shell  and  shrapnel;  so  heavy 
•were  they  that  the  first  discharge  drove  the  con- 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  81 

federates  from  their  guns.  The  other  vessels  of 
the  fleet  followed  the  Hartford's  example,  and 
in  twenty  minutes  the  batteries  were  silenced 
and  the  men  running  for  their  lives. 

"  Oh,  what  a  fearful  scene  our  vessels  passed 
through !  The  surface  of  the  river  was  strewn 
with  blazing  cotton  bales,  burning  steamers  and 
fire-rafts,  all  together  sending  up  clouds  of 
dense  black  smoke.  But  they  were  nearing 
the  city,  these  National  vessels,  and  the  news 
that  such  was  the  case  had  caused  another 
great  panic,  and,  by  order  of  the  Governor  of 
Louisiana  and  General  Lovell,  the  destruction 
of  property  went  on  more  rapidly  than  before. 
Great  quantites  of  cotton,  sugar,  and  other 
staple  commodities  of  that  region  of  country, 
were  set  on  fire,  so  that  for  a  distance  of  five 
miles  there  seemed  to  be  a  continuous  sheet  of 
flame  accompanied  by  dense  clouds  of  smoke ; 
for  the  people,  foolishly  believed  that  the  Gov 
ernment,  like  themselves,  regarded  cotton  as 
king,  and  that  it  was  one  of  the  chief  objects  for 
which  the  National  troops  were  sent  there.  So 
they  brought  it  in  huge  loads  to  the  levee,  piled 
it  up  there,  and  burnt  not  less  than  fifteen  hundred 
bales,  worth  about  $1,500,000.  For  the  same 
reason  they  burned  more  than  a  dozen  large 
ships,  some  of  which  were  loaded  with  cotton,  as 
well  as  many  magnificent  steamboats,  unfinished 
gun-boats,  and  other  vessels,  sending  them  down 


82  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

the  river  wrapped  in  flames;  hoping  that  in  ad 
dition  to  destroying  the  property  the  Federals 
were  after,  they  might  succeed  in  setting  fire  to 
and  destroying  their  ships  and  boats. 

"But  the  vessels  of  Farragut's  squadron  all 
escaped  that  danger,  and  in  the  afternoon,  dur 
ing  a  fierce  thunderstorm,  they  anchored  before 
the  city. 

"  Captain  Bailey  was  sent  ashore  with  a  flag 
and  a  summons  from  Farragut  for  the  surrender 
of  the  city;  also  a  demand  that  the  Confederate 
flag  should  be  taken  down  from  the  public 
buildings  and  replaced  by  the  stars  and  strips. 

"Escorted  by  sensible  citizens  he  made  his 
way  to  the  City  Hall,  through  a  cursing  and 
hissing  crowd.  Lovell,  who  was  still  there, 
positively  refused  to  surrender,  but  seeing  that 
he  was  powerless  to  defend  the  city  he  said  so 
and,  advising  the  mayor  not  to  surrender  or 
allow  the  flags  to  be  taken  down,  he  withdrew 
with  his  troops. 

"The  mayor  was  foolish  enough  to  follow 
that  very  foolish  advice,  and  sent  to  Farragut 
a  silly  letter  saying  that  though  he  and  his 
people  could  not  prevent  the  occupation  of  their 
city  by  the  United  States,  they  would  not  trans 
fer  their  allegiance  to  that  government,  which 
they  had  already  deliberately  repudiated. 

"  While  this  was  going  on  troops  from  the 
Pensacola  had  landed  and  hoisted  the  United 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  83 

States  flag  over  the  Government  Mint;  but 
scarcely  had  they  retired  from  the  spot  when 
the  flag  was  torn  down  by  some  young  men  and 
dragged  through  the  streets  in  derision." 

"Our  flag!  the  glorious  stripes  and  stars!'* 
exclaimed  Lulu,  her  eyes  flashing;  "I  hope  they 
didn't  escape  punishment  for  such  an  outrage 
as  that?" 

"  One  of  them,  a  gambler,  William  B.  Mum- 
ford  by  name,  afterward  paid  the  penalty  for  that 
and  other  crimes,  on  the  scaffold,"  replied  her 
father.  "A  few  hours  after  the  pulling  down 
of  that  flag,  General  Butler  arrived  and  joined 
Farragut  on  the  Hartford.  On  the  29th, 
Butler  reported  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  and, 
referring  to  the  treatment  of  the  flag,  said,  'This 
outrage  will  be  punished  in  such  a  manner  as  in 
my  judgment  will  caution  both  the  perpetrators 
and  the  abettors  of  the  act,  so  that  they  shall 
fear  the  stripes,  if  they  do  not  reverence  the 
stars,  of  our  banner.' 

"Tho  secessionists  expressed  much  exulta 
tion  over  the  treatment  of  the  flag  and  admira 
tion  of  the  rebellious  deed. 

"  Farragut  was  very  patient  with  the  rebels, 
particularly  the  silly  mayor;  in  reply  to  whose 
abusive  letter  he  spoke  of  the  insults  and  in 
dignities  to  the  flag  and  to  his  officers,  adding. 
*A11  of  which  go  to  show  that  the  fire  of  this  fleet 
may  be  drawn  upon  the  city  at  any  moment,  and 


84  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

in  such  an  event  the  levee  would,  in  "all  proba 
bility,  be  cut  by  the  shells  and  an  amount  of 
distress  ensue  to  the  innocent  population  which 
I  have  heretofore  endeavored  to  assure  you  that 
I  desire  by  all  means  to  avoid.  The  election 
therefore  is  with  you;  but  it  becomes  me  to 
notify  you  to  remove  the  women  and  children, 
from  the  city  within  forty-eight  hours,  if  I  have 
rightly  understood  your  determination.' 

"  To  this  the  foolish  mayor  sent  a  most  absurd 
reply,  saying  that  Farragut  wanted  to  humble 
and  disgrace  the  people,  and  talking  nonsense 
about  'murdering  women  and  children.'  It 
was  a  decidedly  insolent  epistle;  but  the  com 
mander  of  a  French  ship  of  war,  that  had  just 
come  in,  was  still  more  impertinent.  He  wrote 
to  Farragut  that  his  government  had  sent  him 
to  protect  the  30,000  of  its  subjects  in  New 
Orleans.  And  that  he  should  demand  sixty 
days,  instead  of  forty-eight  hours  as  the  time  to 
be  given  for  the  evacuation  of  the  city,  his 
letter  closed  with  a  threat:  'If  it  is  your  resolu 
tion  to  bombard  the  city,  do  it;  but  I  wish  to 
state  that  you  will  have  to  account  for  the  bar 
barous  act  to  the  power  which  I  represent.' 

"  Farragut  was  much  perplexed,  and  troubled 
with  doubts  as  to  what  to  do,  but  was  soon 
greatly  relieved  by  the  news  of  the  surrender  of 
the  forts  below,  making  it  almost  certain  that 
Butler  would  soon  be  there  to  relieve  him  of  the 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  85 

care  of  the  city,  and  with  that  in  prospect  he 
was  able  to  quietly  await  the  arrival  of  the 
land  forces. 

"The  people  of  New  Orleans  believed  it  im 
possible  that  those  forts  could  be  taken,  and 
deemed  it  safe  to  indulge  in  their  defiant  attitude 
toward  the  Federal  forces  already  at  their  doors ; 
but  this  unwelcome  news  convinced  them  of 
the  folly  and  danger  of  further  resistance  and 
defiance  of  the  General  Government,  and  a  sort 
of  apology  was  made  to  Farragut  for  the  pulling 
down  of  the  flag  from  the  Mint ;  it  was  said  to 
have  been  the  unauthorized  act  of  the  men  who 
performed  it. 

"The  next  day  Captain  Bell  landed  with  a 
hundred  marines,  hauled  down  the  emblems  of 
rebellion  on  the  Mint  and  Custom  House,  flung 
to  the  breeze  the  National  flag  in  their  places, 
then  locking  the  Custom  House  door,  carried 
the  key  to  his'  vessel. 

There  was  a  military  organization  in  New 
Orleans,  called  the  European  Brigade,  com 
posed  of  British,  French,  and  Spanish  aliens, 
whose  ostensible  purpose  was  to  aid  the 
authorities  in  protecting  the  citizens  from 
unruly  members-,  but  now  finding  their  oc 
cupation  almost  at  an  end,  its  English  mem 
bers  voted  at  their  armory  that,  as  they  would 
have  no  further  use  for  their  weapons  and  accout 
rements,  they  should  be  sent  to  Beauregard's 


86  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

army  at  Corinth,  as  'a  slight  token  of  their 
affection  for  the  Confederate  States. '  " 

"I  should  say  that  was  but  a  poor  sort  of 
neutrality,"  remarked  Rosie. 

"So  I  think,"  responded  the  captain;  then 
•went  on  with  his  story. 

"Only  a  few  hours  after  Mumford  and  his 
mates  had  pulled  down  the  flag,  Butler  arrived, 
joined  Farragut  on  the  Hartford,  and  presently 
made  to  the  Secretary  of  War  the  report  of 
which  I  have  already  spoken. 

"He  hurried  back  to  his  troops  and  made  ar 
rangements  for  their  immediate  advance  up  the 
river.  On  the  first  of  May  he  appeared  before 
New  Orleans  with  his  transports  bearing  two 
thousand  men;  the  general  with  his  wife,  his 
staff,  and  one  thousand  four  hundred  troops, 
was  on  the  Mississippi,  the  vessel  in  which  he 
had  sailed  from  Hampton  Roads  sixty -five  days 
before. 

"At  four  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  that  day 
the  troops  began  to  land :  first,  a  company  of  the 
Thirty-first  Massachusetts,  presently  followed 
by  the  rest  of  the  regiment,  the  Fourth 
Wisconsin,  and  Everett's  battery  of  heavy  field 
guns. 

"They  formed  in  procession,  acting  as  an  es 
cort  to  General  Butler  and  General  Williams 
and  his  staff,  and  marched  through  several 
streets  to  the  Custom  House,  their  band  play- 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  87 

ing  the  'Star-Spangled  Banner.'  They  had 
been  given  strict  directions  not  to  resent  any 
insults  that  might  be  offered  by  the  vast  crowd 
gathered  in  the  streets,  unless  ordered  so  to 
do ;  if  a  shot  should  be  fired  from  any  house, 
they  were  to  halt,  arrest  the  inmates,  and 
destroy  the  building. 

"  Their  patience  was  greatly  tried  during  that 
short  march,  the  crowd  constantly  growing 
greater  and  more  boisterous  and  pouring  out 
upon  them  volleys  of  abusive  epithets,  both  vul 
gar  and  profane,  applying  them  to  the  general 
as  well  as  his  troops." 

"I  think  anybody  but  an  American  would 
have  ordered  his  soldiers  to  fire  upon  them  for 
that,"  remarked  Walter.  "  Did  they  do  no  fight 
ing  at  all  at  the  time,  sir?" 

"No,"  replied  the  captain ;  "  they  were  obedi 
ent  to  the  orders  of  their  superior  officers  and 
brave  enough  to  endure  the  undeserved  abuse 
in  silence. 

"At  length  their  destination  was  reached, 
Captain  Everett  posted  his  cannon  around  the 
Custom  'House,  quarters  there  were  given  to 
the  Massachusetts  regiment,  and  the  city  was 
comparatively  quiet  through  the  night. 

"  General  Butler  passed  the  night  on  board 
the  Mississippi,  and  at  an  early  hour  in  the 
evening  sent  out  a  proclamation  to  the  citizens 
of  New  Orleans.  It  was  first  sent  to  the  office 


88  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

of  the  True  Delta  to  be  printed;  but  the  pro 
prietor  flatly  refused  to  use  his  types  in  such  an 
act  of  submission  to  Federal  rule. " 

"I  hope  he  wasn't  allowed  to  do  as  he  pleased 
about  it?"  growled  Walter. 

"I  think  hardly,"  returned  the  captain  with 
an  amused  smile.  "  Some  two  hours  later  a  file 
of  soldiers  were  in  his  office,  half  a  dozen  of 
whom  were  printers,  and  in  a  very  short  time 
the  proclamation  was  sent  out  in  printed  form. 

"Meanwhile  the  Federal  officers  had  taken 
possession  of  their  city  quarters.  General 
Butler  was  at  the  St.  Charles  Hotel,  and  invited 
the  city  authorities  to  a  conference  with  him 
there.  That  very  foolish  mayor,  Monroe,  told 
the  messenger  sent  to  him  that  his  place  of 
business  was  at  the  City  Hall.  He  was  an 
swered  by  a  suggestion  that  such  a  reply  was 
not  likely  to  prove  satisfying  to  the  command 
ing  general,  and  then  prudently  decided  to  go 
and  wait  on  General  Butler  at  the  St.  Charles. 

"Some  of  his  'friends  accompanied  him; 
among  them  Pierre  Soule,  who  had  been  a  rep 
resentative  to  Congress  before  the  war. 

"General  Butler  and  these  callers  had  a  talk 
together  in  regard  to  the  proper  relations  exist 
ing  between  the  General  Government  and  the 
city  of  New  Orleans,  Butler  maintaining  that 
the  authority  of  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  was  and  ought  to  be  supreme ;  it  had  a 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  89 

right  to  demand  the  allegiance  of  the  people, 
and  that  no  other  authority  could  be  allowed  to 
conflict  with  it  in  ruling  the  city. 

"  The  mayor,  Soule,  and  his  friends,  on  the 
contrary,  insisted  that  Louisiana  was  an  inde 
pendent  sovereignty  and  that  to  her  alone  the 
people  owed  their  allegiance.  They  asserted 
that  the  National  troops  were  invaders,  the 
people  doing  right  in  treating  them  with  con 
tempt  and  abhorrence,  and  that  they  would  be 
fully  justified  in  driving  them  away  if  it  were 
in  their  power  to  do  so. 

"  While  this  hot  discussion  was  going  on,  a 
messenger  came  from  General  Williams,  who 
had  command  of  the  regiment  protecting  head 
quarters,  saying  that  he  feared  he  could  not  con 
trol  the  mob  which  had  collected  in  the  street. 

"Butler  calmly  replied:  'Give  my  compli 
ments  to  General  Williams,  and  tell  him  if  he 
finds  he  cannot  control  the  mob,  to  open  upon 
them  with  artillery.' 

"  At  that  the  mayor  and  his  friends  sprang  to 
their  feet,  exclaiming  excitedly,  'Don't  do  that, 
General.'  Butler  asked,  'Why  not?'  and  went 
on,  'The  mob  must  be  controlled.  We  can't 
have  a  disturbance  in  the  street.' 

"At  that  the  mayor  stepped  out  upon  the 
balcony  and  spoke  to  the  mob,  telling  them  of 
the  general's  orders  and  advising  them  to  dis 
perse. 


90  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"  At  that  interview  General  Butler  read  to  his 
callers  the  proclamation  he  was  about  to  issue. 
Soule  told  him  it  would  give  great  offence,  and 
that  the  people  would  never  submit  to  its  de 
mands;  for  they  were  not  conquered  and  could 
not  be  expected  to  act  as  a  conquered  people 
would.  'Withdraw  your  troops  and  leave  the 
city  government  to  manage  its  own  affairs,'  he 
said.  'If  the  troops  remain  there  will  cer 
tainly  be  trouble. ' " 

"And  Butler,  of  course,  did  as  he  was  told," 
laughed  Rosie. 

"  Not  exactly,"  returned  the  captain.  "  'I  did 
not  expect  to  hear  from  Mr.  Soule  a  threat  on 
this  occasion,'  he  said.  'I  have  long  been  ac 
customed  to  hear  threats  from  Southern  gentle 
men  in  political  conventions,  but  let  me  assure 
the  gentlemen  present  that  the  time  for  tactics  of 
that  nature  has  passed,  never  to  return.  New 
Orleans  is  a  conquered  city.  If  not,  why  are 
we  here?  How  did  we  get  here?  Have  you 
opened  your  arms  and  bid  us  welcome?  Are 
we  here  by  your  consent?  Would  you,  or 
would  you  not,  expel  iis  if  you  could?  New 
Orleans  has  been  conquered  by  the  forces  of 
the  United  States,  and  by  the  laws  of  all  na 
tions  lies  subject  to  the  will  of  the  conquerors.' ' 

"Some  of  the  New  Orleans  people,  especially 
the  women,  behaved  very  badly,  did  they  not, 
captain?"  asked  Evelyn. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  91 

"Yes;  though  no  man  was  injured  by  the 
troops,  who  behaved  in  a  perfectly  orderly  man 
ner;  no  woman  was  treated  with  the  slightest 
disrespect,  though  the  women  were  very  offen 
sive  in  their  manifestations  of  contempt  of  the 
officers,  not  omitting  even  the  commanding  offi 
cer  himself.  They  would  leave  street  cars  and 
church  pews  when  a  Federal  officer  entered 
them;  the  sidewalks  also,  going  round  the 
gentlemen,  turning  up  their  noses  and  some 
times  uttering  abusive  words;  they  wore  seces 
sion  colors  in  their  bonnets,  sang  rebel  songs,  and 
turned  their  backs  on  passing  soldiers,  when  out 
on  their  balconies,  and  played  airs  that  were 
used  with  rebel  words;  indeed  they  tried  to 
show  in  every  possible  way  their  contempt 
and  aversion  for  the  Union  officers  and  soldiers. 
At  length  a  woman  of  the  'dominant  class,' 
meeting  two  Union  officers  on  the  street,  spit 
in  their  faces.  Then  General  Butler  decided 
to  at  once  put  a  stop  to  such  proceedings,  and 
on  the  oth  of  May  he  issued  order  No.  28,  which 
had  the  desired  effect." 

"What  was  it,  papa?  What  did  he  order  the 
people,  or  the  soldiers,  to  do?"  queried  Lulu. 

"The  amount  of  the  order  was  that  every 
woman  who  should  behave  as  that  one  had,  insult 
or  show  contempt  for  any  officer  or  soldier  of 
the  United  States,  should  be  regarded  and  held 
liable  to  be  treated  as  not  of  good  moral  char- 


92  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

acter.  The  mayor  made  it  the  subject  of 
another  impudent  and  absurd  letter  to  Gen 
eral  Butler,  for  which  he  was  arrested,  but  he 
was  soon  released  again  upon  making  a  humble 
apology." 

"Did  they  let  him  be  mayor  again,  papa?" 
asked  Grace. 

"No;  instead  General  G.  F.  Sheply  of  Maine, 
was  appointed  Military  Governor  of  New  Or 
leans,  and  made  an  excellent  one,  having 
the  city  made  cleaner,  and  in  consequence 
more  wholesome,  than  it  had  been  for  years,  if 
ever  before.  Soon  after  that  William  B.  Mum- 
ford  was  arrested,  tried  by  a  military  court  for 
treason  in  having  torn  down  the  flag,  found 
guilty,  and  hanged." 


CHAPTER  V. 

THEKE  was  a  moment  of  silence  broken  by* 
Lulu  with  an  eager  exclamation.  "  Oh,  papa, 
don't  you  remember  that  when  we  were  at 
Saratoga  last  summer  you  promised  that  some 
time  you  would  tell  us  about  the  fighting  in  the 
Revolution  near  and  at  Fort  Schuyler?  and  won't 
you  please  do  so  now?" 

"I  will  if  the  others  wish  to  hear  it,"  he  re 
plied,  and  a  general  eager  assent  being  given, 
he  at  once  began  the  story. 

"Fort  Schuyler,"  he  said,  "at  first  called  Fort 
Stanwix,  in  honor  of  the  general  of  that  name,, 
who  directed  the  work  of  its  erection,  stood  at 
the  head  of  boat  navigation  on  the  Mohawk, 
where  the  village  of  Rome  now  is.  It  cost  the 
British  and  Colonial  Government  two  hundred 
and  sixty-six  thousand  four  hundred  dollars  and 
was  a  strong  post  of  resistance  to  attack  from 
the  French  in  Canada,  with  whom,  as  you  all 
know,  I  think,  the  colonists  were  often  at  war,  on. 
their  own  account  or  that  of  the  mother  country, 
and  a  powerful  protection  to  the  Indian  trade. 
It  commanded  the  portage  between  Lake  On 
tario  and  the  Mohawk  valley,  the  theatre  o£ 

93 


94  ELSIE  AT  VIANEDE. 

many  stirring  events  during  the  War  of  the 
Revolution.  Indians  and  Tories  kept  in  terror 
the  people  who  lived  there  and  were  loyal  to  the 
cause  of  their  country.  There  were  daylight 
struggles  and  stealthy  midnight  attacks  in  such 
numbers  that  Tryon  County  came  to  be  spoken 
of  as  'the  dark  and  bloody  ground.' 

"  Congress  perceiving  the  importance  of  de 
fending  the  northern  and  western  frontiers  of 
New  York  from  incursions  by  the  British  and 
Indians,  sent  General  Schuyler  to  strengthen 
old  Fort  Stanwix,  which  had  been  allowed  to 
fall  into  a  state  of  decay  so  that  it  was  little 
more  than  a  ruin,  and,  if  he  found  it  necessary, 
to  erect  other  fortifications. 

"General  Phillip  Schuyler  was  a  gentleman 
of  fortune,  of  military  skill,  experience, 
sound  judgment,  and  lofty  patriotism.  Loss- 
ing  tells  us  that,  'for  causes  quite  inexpli 
cable,  he  was  superseded  in  effect  by  Gates 
in  March  1777,  but  reinstated  in  May,  and 
that  no  appointment  could  have  been  more 
acceptable  to  the  people  of  northern  New  York, 
who  were  at  that  time  in  a  state  of  great  ex 
citement  and  alarm.' 

"In  recent  campaigns  against  the  French  and 
Indians  on  Lakes  Cham  plain  and  George,  Gen 
eral  Schuyler  had  done  great  service  to  the 
colony  and  the  people  along  the  northern  fron 
tier.  That  of  itself  was  sufficent  cause  for  at- 


JEL8IE  AT  YIAMEDE.  95 

tacliment  to  him,  besides  his  many  virtues, 
which  had  endeared  him  to  all  who  knew  him. 
And  in  fighting  the  British  he  would  be  -de 
fending  his  own  home  and  large  landed  es 
tate. 

"In  March,  1777,  Burgoyne  arrived  at  Que 
bec,  bearing  the  commission  of  a  lieutenant-gen 
eral,  and  by  the  first  of  June  a  force  of  seven 
thousand  men  was  collected  for  him  and  mus 
tered  at  St.  John's  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Cham- 
plai».  Also  the  British  Lieutenant-colonel  St. 
Leger,  was  sent  with  a  force  of  seven  hundred 
rangers  up  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Lake  Ontario 
to  Oswego.  He  was  to  gather  the  Indians, 
make  friends  with  them,  and  get  them  to  act 
as  his  allies;  then  to  sweep  the  valley  of  the 
Mohawk,  with  the  help  of  Johnson  and  his 
Tories,  take  Fort  Schuyler,  and  afterward  join 
Burgoyne. 

"Colonel  Peter  Gansevoort  was  at  that  time 
in  command  of  Fort  Schuyler.  The  people  of 
Tryon  County,  hearing  of  St.  Leger's  move 
ment,  and  that  a  descent  was  to  be  made  upon 
them  by  the  way  of  Oswego,  were  greatly 
alarmed.  In  June  a  man  from  Canada  was  ar 
rested  as  a  spy  and  from  him  the  Americans 
learned  that  a  detachment  of  British,  Canadi 
ans,  and  Indians  was  coming  against  them  on 
their  way  to  join  Burgoyne  at  Albany. " 

"  But  Burgoyne  never  got  there — to  Albany — 


#6  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

nntil  he  went  as  a  prisoner;  did  he,  sir?" 
asked  Walter. 

"No,  my  boy,  he  was  defeated  and  made 
prisoner  while  on  his  way  to  the  city.  The 
battle  of  Saratoga  was  a  disastrous  one  to  the 
invaders  of  our  land. 

"The  intelligence  of  which  I  just  spoke  aa 
given  by  the  spy  was  afterward  confirmed  by 
Thomas  Spencer,  a  friendly  Oneida  half  breed 
sachem,  [who  was  'sent  to  Canada  as  a  secret 
emissary  and  there  became  acquainted  with  the 
plans  of  Burgoyne. 

"For  a  time  the  loyal  people,  the  Whigs,  who 
were  for  their  native  land  and  not  for  the  English 
king  who  had  been  showing  himself  a  tyrant  and 
oppressor,  were  almost  paralyzed  with  alarm. 
Fort  Schuyler  was  still  unfinished  and  the  gar 
rison  feeble.  But  Colonel  Gansevoort  was  hope 
ful,  vigilant,  and  active.  He  wrote  urgently 
to  General  Schuyler  for  aid,  and  the  general 
made  a  like  appeal  to  the  Provincial  Congress 
of  New  York,  and  the  General  Congress.  But 
it  was  too  late  for  them  to  send  him  help  before 
the  attack  would  be  made. 

"  On  the  2d  of  August  Brant  and  Lieutenant 
Bird  began  the  investment  of  the  fort,  and  on 
that  very  day  Gansevoort  and  his  little  garrison 
of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men  received  a  re-en 
forcement  of  two  hundred  men  under  Lieuten 
ant-colonel  Melon,  and  two  bateaux  loaded  with 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  9T 

provisions  and  military  stores;  a  most  •welcome 
addition  to  the  scant  supplies  in  the  fort. 

"  The  next  day  Colonel  St.  Leger  arrived  with 
the  rest  of  his  troops.  The  siege  was  begun  on 
the  4th.  The  Indians,  hiding  in  the  bushes, 
wounded  some  of  our  menjwho  were  at  work  on 
the  parapets,  and  a  few  bombs_were  thrown 
into  the  fort. 

"  The  next  day  it  was  the  same ;  the  ^Indians 
spread  themselves  about  through  the  woods  en 
circling  the  fort,  and  all  through  the  night  tried 
to  intimidate  the  Americans  by  their  hideous 
yells. 

"On  that  very  day  General  Herkimer  was 
coming  to  its  aid  with  more  than  eight  hundred 
men  of  the  militia  of  Tryon  County.  He  was 
near  Oriskany,  a  little  village  eight  miles  east 
ward  from  the  fort ;  from  there  he  sent  a  mes 
senger  to  tell  Colonel  Gansevoort  that  he  was 
approaching,  and  asking  to  be  informed  of  the 
man's  arrival  by  the  firing  of  three  guns  in 
quick  succession,  knowing  that  they  could  be 
heard  at  Oriskany.  But  unfortunately  his  mes 
senger  did  not  reach  the  fort  until  the  next, 
day,  and  while  Herkimer,  who  though  brave 
was  cautious,  decided  to  halt  till  he  should  hear 
the  signal  or  receive  re-enforcements,  some  of 
his  officers  and  men  were  impatient  to  push 
on. 

"  Herkimer  would  not  consent,  and  two  of  his 


98  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

colonels,  Paris  and  Cox,  called  him  a  coward 
and  a  Tory.  Herkimer  replied  calmly,  4I  am 
placed  over  you  as  a  father  and  guardian  and 
shall  not  lead  you  into  difficulties  from  which 
I  may  not  be  able  to  extricate  you. ' 

"  But'they  continued  their  taunts  and  demands 
till  he  was  stung  by  them  into  giving  the  com 
mand,  'March  on!' 

"  St.  Leger  knew  of  the  advance  of  Herkimer 
and  his  troops  and  sent  a  division  of  Johnston's 
Greens,  under  Major  Watts,  Brant  with  a  strong 
body  of  Indians,  and  Colonel  Butler  with  his 
rangers,  to  intercept  him  and  prevent  his  mak 
ing  an  attack  upon  the  entrenchments  which  he 
had  made  about  Fort  Schuyler. 

"Gansevoort  noticed  the  silence  in  the  ene 
my's  camp,  and  also  the  movement  of  his  troops 
down  toward  the  river  along  the  margin  of  the 
wood.  When  the  courier  came  with  the  mes 
sage  from  Herkimer  he  understood  the  meaning 
of  it  all,  and  immediately  fired  the  signal  guns. 

"Herkimer  had  said  in  his  message  that  he 
intended,  on  hearing  the  signals,  to  cut  his 
way  through  the  camp  of  the  enemy  to  the 
fort,  and  asked  that  a  sortie  from  it  should  be 
made  at  the  same  time. 

"As  quickly  as  possible  Gansevoort  had  it 
made.  A  detachment  of  two  hundred  men,  of 
his  own  and  Wesson's  regiments,  with  an  iron 
three-pounder,  were  detailed  for  the  duty ;  then 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  99 

fifty  more  were  added  for  the  protection  of 
the  cannon  and  to  assist  in  whatever  way  they 
could.  Colonel  Marinus  Willett  was  given  the 
command. 

"  It  rained  heavily  while  the  necessary  prepar 
ations  were  going  on  in  the  fort,  but  the  mo 
ment  it  ceased  Willett  and  his  men  hastened 
out  and  attacked  the  enemy  furiously. 

"  The  advanced  guard  were  driven  in,  and  so 
sudden  and  impetuous  was  the  charge  that  Sir 
John  Johnson  had  no  time  to  put  on  his  coat. 
He  tried  to  bring  his  troops  into  order,  but  they 
were  so  panic  stricken  that  they  fled,  and  he 
with  them.  They  crossed  the  river  to  St. 
Leger's  camp  and  the  Indians  concealed  them 
selves  in  the  deep  forest. 

"  The  Americans  took  much  plunder ;  all  Sir 
John's  baggage  and  his  papers,  as  well  as  those  of 
other  officers,  giving  valuable  information  to  the 
garrison  of  Fort  Schuyler ;  also  the  British  colors, 
all  of  which — there  were  five — the  Americans 
presently  raised  upon  their  flagstaff,  beneath 
their  own  rude  flag — fashioned,  as  I  have  already 
told  some  of  you,  out  of  strips  of  red  and  white 
obtained  by  tearing  up  men's  shirts  for  the  one, 
and  joining  bits  of  scarlet  cloth  for  the  other; 
while  a  blue  cloak  belonging  to  Captain 
Abraham  Swartwout,  of  Dutchess  County, 
then  in  the  fort,  was  used  to  form  the  ground 
for  the  white  stars,  and  the  staff  upon  which 


100  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

all  these  hung  was  in  full  view  of  the  enemy. 
Then  the  whole  garrison  mounted  the  parapets 
and  made  the  forest  ring  with  three  loud 
cheers. 

"  While  all  this  was  going  on  in  and  around 
the  fort,  General  Herkimer  and  his  men  were 
coming  toward  it  through  the  woods.  It  was  a 
dark,  sultry  morning.  The  troops  were  chiefly 
militia  regiments  and  marched  in  an  irregular, 
careless  way,  neglecting  proper  precautions. 

"Brant  and  his  Tories  took  advantage  of  this 
carelessness,  hid  themselves  in  a  ravine  which 
crossed  Herkimer's  path,  and  had  a  thick 
growth  of  underwood  along  its  margin,  which 
made  it  easy  for  them  to  conceal  themselves, 
and  when  all  except  the  rear-guard  of  the 
unsuspecting  Americans  had  entered  the  ravine, 
where  the  ground  was  marshy  and  crossed  by  a 
causeway  of  earth  and  logs,  Brant  gave  a  signal, 
immediately  followed  by  a  warwhoop,  and  the 
savages  fell  upon  our  poor  men  with  spear, 
hatchet,  and  rifle-ball;  as  Lossing  says,  'like  hail 
from  the  clouds  that  hovered  over  them.' 

"The  rear-guard  fled  and  left  the  others  to 
their  fate,  yet  perhaps  suffered  more  from  the 
pursuing  Indians  than  they  would  if  they  had 
stood  their  ground,  helping  their  fellows.  The 
attack  had  been  so  sudden  that  there  was  great 
confusion  in  the  ranks ;  but  they  presently  re 
-covered  and  fought  like  veterans;  fought 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  101 

bravely  for  their  lives,  and  for  their  coun 
try." 

"And  were  many  of  them  killed,  sir?"  asked 
Walter. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  captain  sighing;  "the 
slaughter  was  dreadful,  and  the  good  general 
was  soon  among  the  wounded.  A  musket  ball 
passed  through  his  horse,  killing  it  and  sadly 
wounding  him,  shattering  his  leg  just  below  the 
knee.  He  at  once  ordered  the  saddle  taken 
from  his  horse  and  placed  against  a  large  beech 
tree  near  by,  and  there  he  sat  during  the  rest 
of  the  fight,  calmly  giving  his  orders  while  the 
enemy's  bullets  whistled  around  him  like  sleet, 
killing  and  wounding  his  men  on  every  side." 

"He  was  no  coward  after  all,"  exclaimed 
Walter,  his  eyes  shining.  "  But  did  any  of  our 
men  escape  being  killed,  sir?" 

"After  a  little  they  formed  themselves  into 
circles,"  continued  the  captain,  "so  meeting  the 
enemy  at  all  points,  and  their  fire  became  so 
destructive  that  the  Tories  and  the  Johnson 
Greens  charged  with  the  bayonet,  and  the  pat 
riots  being  equally  prompt  to  defend  themselves, 
it  became  a  terrible  hand  to  hand  fight. 

"It  was  at  length  stopped  by  the  shower  that 
had  delayed  the  sortie  from  the  fort;  both  par 
ties  seeking  shelter  under  the  trees.  Then,  as 
soon  as  the  shower  was  over,  Colonel  Willett 
made  his  sally  from  the  fort,  attacking  John- 


102  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

son's  camp,  and  the  battle  at  Oriskany  was  re 
newed. 

"  It  is  said  to  have  been  the  bloodiest  of  the 
war  in  proportion  to  the  numbers  engaged.  It 
is  stated  that  about  one-third  of  the  militia  fell 
on  the  battle  ground,  and  as  many  more  were 
mortally  wounded  or  carried  into  captivity. 
About  fifty  wounded  were  carried  from  the  field 
on  litters,  General  Herkimer  among  them.  He 
was  taken  to  his  own  home,  where  he  died  ten 
days  afterward." 

"  But  who  gained  the  victory,  papa?"  asked 
Lulu. 

"The  Americans,  the  others  having  fled; 
but  they  were  unable  to  accomplish  the  object 
of  the  expedition — the  relief  of  Fort  Schuyler. 
And  surrounded  as  they  were  by  the  enemy,  the 
men  in  the  fort  could  gain  no  intelligence  as  to 
the  result  of  the  fight  at  Oriskany,  and  St.  Leger 
took  advantage  of  their  ignorance  to  falsely  re 
present  the  British  to  have  been  the  victors  to 
the  total  defeat  of  the  Americans,  and  announce 
a  victorious  advance  by  Burgoyne. 

"Two  American  officers,  Colonel  Billenger 
and  Major  Frey,  who  had  been  taken  prisoners, 
were  forced  to  write  a  letter  to  Colonel  Ganse- 
voort,  containing  many  misrepresentations  and 
advising  him  to  surrender.  This  Colonel  Butler 
delivered  to  Ganesvoort  and  verbally  demanded 
his  surrender. 


ELSIE  AT  YIAMEDE.  103 

"Gansevoort  refused,  saying  lie  would  not 
answer  such  a  summons  verbally  made  unless 
by  St.  Leger  himself. 

"  The  next  morning  Butler  and  two  other  offi 
cers  drew  near  the  fort  carrying  a  white  flag, 
and  asked  to  be  admitted  as  bearers  of  a  mes 
sage  to  the  commander  of  the  fort. 

"  The  request  was  granted,  but  they  were  first 
blindfolded,  then  conducted  to  the  dining  room 
of  the  fort,  where  they  were  received  by  Ganse 
voort,  the  windows  of  the  room  being  closed 
and  candles  lighted." 

"What  was  that  for,  papa?"  asked  Grace. 

"  To  prevent  them  from  seeing  what  was  the 
condition  of  things  within  the  fort,"  replied  her 
father. 

"  And  was  Gansevoort  alone  with  them,  papa?" 

"  No ;  he  had  with  him  Colonels  Willett  and 
Mellen.  Butler  and  his  companions  were  po 
litely  received,  and  one  of  them,  Major  Ancram 
by  name,  made  a  little  speech,  telling  of  the 
humanity  of  St.  Leger's  feelings,  and  his  desire 
to  prevent  bloodshed ;  that  he  found  it  difficult 
to  keep  the  Indians  in  check,  and  that  the  only 
salvation  of  the  garrison  was  an  immediate  sur 
render  of  the  fort  and  all  its  stores.  Officers 
and  soldiers  would  be  allowed  to  keep  their  bag 
gage  and  other  private  property,  and  their  per 
sonal  safety  would  be  guaranteed.  He  added 
that  he  hoped  these  honorable  terms  would  be 


104  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

immediately  accepted,  for  if  not  it  would  not 
be  in  St.  Leger's  power  to  offer  them  again." 

"  So  the  Americans  of  course  were  afraid  to 
reject  them?"  sniffed  Walter. 

"Hardly,"  returned  the  captain  with  a  smile. 
"  But  that  was  not  all  Ancram  said  with  a  view 
to  inducing  them  to  do  so.  He  went  on  to  say 
that  the  Indians  were  eager  to  march  down  the 
country,  laying  it  waste  and  killing  the  inhab 
itants;  that  Herkimer's  relief  corps  had  been 
totally  destroyed,  Burgoyne  had  possession  of 
Albany,  and  there  was  no  longer  any  hope  for 
this  garrison." 

"What  a  liar  he  was,  that  Ancram!"  ex 
claimed  Walter.  "Why,  Burgoyne  had  not 
even  got  as  far  as  Saratoga  then." 

"  No,"  responded  the  captain,  "  and  the  bright 
and  plucky  officers  of  Fort  Schuyler,  to  whom 
lie  was  speaking,  were  not  so  easily  hood 
winked;  they  saw  through  his  designs,  and 
were  not  to  be  deceived  by  the  falsehoods  and 
misrepresentations  of  his  address. 

"It  was  Colonel  Willett  who,  with  the  ap 
proval  of  Gansevoort,  made  answer,  speaking, 
as  Lossing  says,  with  'emphasis,'  and  looking 
Ancram  full  in  the  face. 

"  'Do  I  understand  you,  sir?  I  think  you  say 
that  you  came  from  a  British  colonel,  who  is 
commander  of  the  army  that  invests  this  fort; 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  105 

and,  by  your  uniform,  you  appear  to  be  an  offi 
cer  in  the  British  service.  You  have  made  a 
long  speech  on  the  occasion  of  your  visit,  which, 
stripped  of  all  its  superfluities,  amounts  to  this : 
that  you  come  from  a  British  colonel  to  the 
commandant  of  this  garrison,  to  tell  him  that, 
if  he  does  not  deliver  up  the  garrison  into  the 
hands  of  your  colonel,  he  will  send  his  Indians 
to  murder  our  women  and  children.  You  will 
please  to  reflect,  sir,  that  their  blood  will  be 
upon  your  heads,  not  upon  ours.  We  are 
doing  our  duty;  this  garrison  is  committed 
to  our  care,  and  we  will  take  care  of  it. 
After  you  get  out  of  it,  you  may  turn  round 
and  look  at  its  outside,  but  never  expect  to 
come  in  again  unless  you  come  a  prisoner.  I 
consider  the  message  you  have  brought  a  degrad 
ing  one  for  a  British  officer  to  send,  and  by  no 
means  reputable  for  a  British  officer  to  carry. 
For  my  own  part,  I  declare,  before  I  would 
consent  to  deliver  this  garrison  to  such  a  mur 
dering  set  as  your  army,  by  your  own  account, 
consists  of,  I  would  suffer  my  body  to  be  filled 
with  splinters  and  set  on  fire,  as  you  know  has 
at  times  been  practiced  by  such  hordes  of 
women  and  children  killers  as  belong  to  your 
army. ' " 

"Good!"  said  "Walter;  "and  the  other  two 
American  officers,  I  suppose,  agreed  with  him." 


106  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"Yes,"  Captain  Raymond  replied,  "and  they 
all  felt  satisfied  that  they  would  not  be  so  ur 
gently  pressed  to  surrender  at  once,  and  on  con 
ditions  so  favorable,  if  their  prospects  were  as 
dark  as  their  besiegers  would  have  them  be 
lieve-" 


CHAPTER  VI. 

t{ST.  LEGER  made  another  effort  to  induce 
them  to  do  so,"  continued  Captain  Raymond. 
"On  the  9th  he  sent  a  written  demand  offer 
ing  about  the  same  terms  as  before. 

"Gansevoort  replied  in  writing:  'Sir,  your 
letter  of  this  date  I  have  received,  in  answer  to 
which  I  say,  that  it  is  my  determined  resolu 
tion,  with  the  force  under  my  command,  to  de 
fend  this  fort  to  the  last  extremity,  in  behalf  of 
the  United  States,  who  have  placed  me  here  to 
defend  it  against  all  their  enemies.' ': 

"Did  the  British  give  it  up  then,  papa?" 
asked  Grace. 

"  No ;  they  began  digging  and  making  prep 
arations  to  run  a  mine  under  the  strongest 
bastion  of  the  fort,  while  at  the  same  time  they 
sent  out  an  address  to  the  people  of  Tryon 
County,  signed  by  Clause,  Johnson,  and  Butler, 
urging  them  to  submit  to  British  rule,  asserting 
that  they  themselves  were  desirous  to  have 
peace,  and  threatening  that  in  case  of  refusal  all 
the  horrors  of  Indian  cruelty  would  be  visited 
upon  them.  Also  they  called  upon  the  principal 

107 


108  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

men  of  the  valley  to  come  up  to  Fort 

and  compel  its  garrison  to  surrender,  as  they 

would  be  forced  to  do  in  the  end." 

"Did  the  men  in  the  fort  give  up  then, 
papa?"  queried  Grace. 

"No,  no  indeed,  little  daughter!"  he  replied. 
"They  were  brave  men,  and  staunch  patriots, 
and  had  no  intention  to  surrender  so  long  as  they 
could  possibly  hold  out ;  but  fearing  ammunition 
might  give  out,  their  supply  of  provisions  too, 
they  resolved  to  send  word  to  General  Schuyler, 
who  was  then  at  Stillwater,  asking  for  aid  from 
him  in  their  sore  extremity. 

"  Of  course  it  would  be  a  hazardous  attempt, 
but  Colonel  Willett  offered  to  be  the  messenger, 
and  one  stormy  night  he  and  Lieutenant  Stock- 
well  left  the  fort  at  ten  o'clock  by  the  sally 
port,  each  armed  with  a  spear,  and  crept  along 
the  morass  on  hands  and  knees,  to  the  river, 
which  they  crossed  upon  a  log.  Their  way  lay 
through  a  tangled  wood  and  they  soon  lost  it. 
The  bark  of  a  dog  presently  warned  them  that 
they  were  near  an  Indian  camp,  and  fearing  to 
either  advance  or  retreat  they  stood  still  there 
for  several  hours. 

"  But  at  length  the  dawn  of  day  showed  them 
where  they  were,  so  that  they  were  able  to  find 
the  right  road  and  pursue  their  way.  They  took 
a  zigzag  course,  now  on  land,  now  through  the 
bed  of  a  stream,  to  foil  any  attempt  on  the  part 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  109 

of  some  possible  pursuer  to  gain  upon  them  by 
the  scent  of  their  footsteps. 

"They  arrived  safely  at  the  German  Flats, 
mounted  fleet  horses,  and  sped  down  the  valley 
to  the  quarters  of  General  Schuyler.  On  arriv 
ing  they  learned  that  he  had  already  heard  of 
the  defeat  of  Herkimer,  and  was  preparing  to 
send  succor  to  the  besieged  in  the  fort. 

"Meanwhile  St.  Leger  was  pressing  his  siege, 
and  the  garrison,  hearing  nothing  of  the  success 
ful  journey  of  their  messengers,  or  of  aid  coming 
to  them  from  any  quarter,  many  of  them  began 
to  grow  despondent  and  to  hint  to  their  com 
mander  that  it  might  be  best  to  surrender,  as 
their  supply  of  both  provisions  and  ammunition 
was  getting  low. 

"  But  Gansevoort  was  too  brave  and  hopeful 
to  think  of  so  doing.  He  told  the  despondent 
ones  that  in  case  help  did  not  arrive  before  their 
supplies  were  exhausted,  they  would  sally  forth 
in  the  night  and  cut  their  way  through  the 
enemy's  camp. 

"But  relief  came  in  an  unexpected  manner, 
that  always  reminds  me  of  that  siege  of  Samaria 
by  the  host  of  the  Syrians,  in  the  days  of  Elisha 
the  prophet  of  Israel,  and  the  way  the  Lord  took 
to  deliver  them,  causing  'the  Syrians  to  hear  a 
noise  of  chariots  and  a  noise  of  horses,  even  the 
noise  of  a  great  host;  and  they  said  one  to  an 
other,  Lo.  the  King  of  Israel  hath  hired  against 


110  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

us  the  Kings  of  the  Hittites  and  the  Kings  of  the 
Egyptians  to  come  upon  us.  Wherefore  they 
arose  and  fled  in  the  twilight,  and  left  their 
tents  and  their  horses,  and  there  asses,  even  the 
camp  as  it  was,  and  fled  for  their  lives.'  For 
suddenly  and  mysteriously  the  British,  Indians, 
and  Tories  besieging  Fort  Schuyler  did  the 
6ame_ fled,  leaving  tents,  artillery,  and  camp 
equipage  behind  them." 

"  Why,  papa,  how  very  strange !"  exclaimed 
Lulu,  ""were  they  really  frightened  in  the  same 
way?" 

"Not  exactly  the  same  but  somewhat  like 
it,"  replied  her  father.  "General  Schuyler, 
then  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mohawk,  had  made  an 
appeal  to  his  men  for  volunteers  to  go  to  the  re 
lief  of  Gansevoort  and  his  men,  now  besieged 
by  the  enemy  in  Fort  Schuyler,  and  Arnold 
and  his. troops,  most  of  them  Massachusetts  men, 
responded  with  alacrity  and,  joined  by  the 
First  New  York  regiment,  they  marched  at 
once. 

"  Arnold's  force  was  much  smaller  than  that 
of  St.  Leger's  and  he  resorted  to  stratagem  as  the 
only  means  of  securing  his  end.  A  half  idiot,  a 
nephew  of  General  Herkimer,  named  Hon-Yost 
Schuyler,  a  coarse,  ignorant  fellow,  had  been 
taken  prisoner  along  with  that  Walter  Butler 
who  had  been  arrested  while  carrying  to  the 
people  of  Tryon  County  the  call  for  them  to 


ELSIE  AT  VIANEDE.  Ill 

force  the  defenders  of  Fort  Schuyler  to  surren 
der,  tried  and  condemned  as  a  spy. 

"The  same  thing  had  befallen  Hon-Yost,  but 
his  mother  plead  for  him,  and  though  at  first 
Arnold  was  inexorable,  he  at  length  agreed  to 
release  the  fellow  on  condition  that  he  would  go 
to  Fort  Schuyler  and  alarm  St.  Leger  with  the 
story  that  the  Americans  were  coming  against' 
him  in  force  to  compel  the  raising  of  the  siege. 

"Hon-Yost  seemed  not  at  all  unwilling, 
readily  gave  the  required  promise,  and  his 
mother  offered  to  remain  as  a  hostage  for  his 
faithful  performance  of  the  duty;  but  Arnold 
chose  Instead  Nicholas,  the  brother  of  Hon- 
Yost,  as  his  security. 

"Hon-Yost  managed  the  business  with  great 
adroitness.  Before  leaving  he  had  seven  bul 
lets  shot  through  his  coat,  which  he  showed  to 
the  British  and  Indians  on  arriving  at  their  en 
campment  as  proof  of  "a  terrible  engagement 
with  the  enemy."  He  was  acquainted  with 
many  of  the  Indians,  and  when  he  came  rushing 
into  the  camp  almost  out  of  breath  with  haste 
and  fright,  apparently,  telling  :this  story,  with 
the  added  information  that  the  Americans  were 
coming  and  he  had  barely  escaped  with  his  life, 
his  hearers  were  very  much  alarmed. 

"  They  asked  what  were  the  numbers  of  the 
Americans,  and  in  reply  he  shook  his  head  mys 
teriously,  pointing  as  he  did  so  to  the  leaves  on 


112  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

the  trees,  as  if  he  would  say  that  they  were 
numberless. 

"The  Indians,  who  had  been  uneasy  and 
moody  ever  since  the  battle  of  Oriskany,  and 
were  at  the  moment  of  Hon- Yost's  arrival  hold 
ing  a  pow-wow  to  plead  with  the  'Great  Spirit* 
to  guide  and  direct  them,  at  once  resolved  to 
flee,  and  told  St.  Leger  of  their  decision. 

"  He  sent  for  Hon- Yost,  questioned  him,  and 
was  told  that  Arnold  would  be  there  in  twenty- 
four  hours  with  two  thousand  men. 

"  Hon-Yost  had  come  in  to  the  camp  alone, 
he  and  the  Oneida  chief  having  laid  their  plans 
before  hand,  the  chief  to  arrive  a  little  later  than 
the  other,  so  that  they  would  not  appear  to  be 
in  collusion,  and  just  as  Hon-Yost  finished  his 
story  to  St.  Leger,  the  chief  and  two  or  three 
straggling  Indians  of  his  tribe,  who  had  joined 
him  on  his  way,  came  in  with  the  same  story  of 
the  near  approach  of  a  large  body  of  Amer  cans. 
One  told  St.  Leger  that  Arnold  had  three 
thousand  men  with  him ;  another  that  the  army 
of  Burgoyne  was  cut  to  pieces.  They  pre 
tended  that  a  bird  had  brought  them  news  that 
the  valley  below  was  swarming  with  warriors. 

"  The  savages  were  now  thoroughly  alarmed, 
and  all  the  bribes  and  promises  of  St.  Leger 
could  not  induce  them  to  remain  any  longer; 
they  suspected  foul  play  and  would  not  touch 
the  strong  drink  he  offered,  and  when,  finding 


ELSIE  A  T  VI AXED E.  1 1 3 

that  they  would  go,  he  asked  them  to  take  the 
rear  in  retreating,  they  indignantly  refused,  say 
ing,  'You  mean  to  sacrifice  us.  When  you 
marched  down  you  said  there  would  be  no  fight 
ing  for  Indians;  we  might  go  down  and  sinoke 
our  pipes ;  numbers  of  our  warriors  have  been 
killed,  and  you  mean  to  sacrifice  us  also.' 

"  The  council  broke  up,  the  Indians  fled,  the 
panic  was  communicated  to  the  rest  of  the  army, 
and  they  fled  in  terror  to  their  boats  on  Oneida 
Lake,  the  Indians  making  merry  over  their  flight, 
hurrying  on  after  them  with  the  warning  cry: 
'They  are  coming,  they  are  coming!'  So 
alarmed  were  the  Tories  and  British'troops  that 
they  threw  away  their  knapsacks  and  their  arms 
as  they  ran.  Also  the  Indians  killed  or  robbed 
many  of  them  and  took  their  boats,  so  that  St. 
Leger  said,  'they  became  more  formidable  than 
the  enemy  we  had  to  expect. ' ' 

"And  did  the  Americans  chase  them  that 
time,  sir?"  asked  Walter. 

"Yes;  Gansevoort  at  once  sent  word  to 
Arnold  'that  the  British  were  retreating,  and 
Arnold  sent  nine  hundred  men  in  pursuit.  The 
next  day  he  himself  reached  the  fort ;  but  he  and 
his  men  presently  marched  back  to  the  main 
army,  then  at  Still  water,  leaving  Colonel  Willett 
in  command  of  Fort  Schuyler. 

"  So  ended  the  siege  of  which  Lossing  says 
that  'in  its  progress  were  shown  the  courage, 


114  ELSIE  A  T  VIAMEDE. 

skill,  and  endurance  of  the  Americans  every 
where  so  remarkable  in  the  revolution.'  " 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Walter;  "but  will  you  please 
tell  what  became  of  Hon-Yost?" 

"Yes;  he  went  with  the  British  as  far  as 
Wood  Creek,  then  managed  to  desert  and  at 
once  carried  the  news  of  Arnold's  approach  to 
Fort  Schuyler.  He  went  back  to  Fort  Dayton, 
afterward  fled  with  his  family  and  fourteen  of 
his  Tory  friends,  and  joined  Sir  John  Johnson. 
When  the  war  was  over  he  returned  to  the 
valley,  where  he  died  in  1818.'r 


CHAPTER  VH. 

"Now,  papa,  if  you're  not  too  tired  won't  yon 
please  tell  us  about  the  writing  of  the  'Star- 
Spangled  Banner '  ?"  pleaded  Lulu,  with  a  smil 
ing,  coaxing  look  up  into  her  father's  face. 

"  I  am  not  too  tired,  and  if  all  wish  to  hear 
it,  will  willingly  tell  the  story  to  the  best  of 
my  ability,"  he  replied,  taking  in  his  and  softly 
patting  the  hand  she  had  laid  on  his  knee. 

"I'm  sure  we  will  all  be  glad  to  hear  it,  sir," 
said  Walter.  "  It  happened  in  the  War  of  1812, 
didn't  it?" 

"Yes.  The  British  had  taken  Washington, 
where  they  had  behaved  more  like  vandals  than 
civilized  men,  burning  and  destroying  both 
public  buildings  and  private  property — the 
Capitol,  the  President's  house,  the  Arsenal,  the 
library  of  Congress,  and  barracks  for  nearly  three 
thousand  troops;  besides  private  property — a 
large  ropewalk,  some  houses  on  Capitol  Hill,  and 
ft  tavern ;  all  of  which  they  burned.  The  light 
of  the  fire  was  seen  at  Baltimore,  and  the  news 
of  the  capture  of  Washington  caused  intense 
excitement  there;  particularly  because  it  was 
known  that  the  British  were  so  much  exasper- 

115 


116  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

ated  attheBaltimoreans  on  account  of  its  being 
the  place  whence  had  been  sent  out  many  swift 
clipper-built  vessels  and  expert  seamen  who  had 
struck  heavy  blows  at  British  commerce  on  the 
high  seas. 

"Baltimore  is  on  the  Patapsco  River,  ten 
miles  from  Chesapeake  Bay.  The  narrow  strait 
connecting  harbor  and  bay  is  defended  by  Fort 
McHenry,  which  stood  there  at  that  time.  It 
was  expected  that  Baltimore  would  be  the  next 
point  of  attack  by  the  enemy,  and  there  was, 
of  course,  great  excitement. 

"  General  Samuel  Smith,  who  had  been  a  rev 
olutionary  officer,  at  once  exerted  himself  to  pre 
pare  both  Baltimore  and  Annapolis  for  success 
ful  defence.  He  was  a  fine  officer.  You  all 
perhaps  remember  him  as  commander  at  Fort 
Mifflin  when  attacked  by  the  British  and  Hes 
sians  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  He  had  been 
active  in  this  war  also,  ever  since  the  appear 
ance  of  a  British  squadron  in  the  Chesapeake, 
in  the  spring  of  the  previous  year,  1813." 

"And  this  was  in  the  fall  of  1814,  was  it 
not,  captain?"  queried  Evelyn. 

"  Yes,  early  in  September.  In  the  spring  of 
1813  it  was  rumored  that  the  British  were  com 
ing  to  attack  the  city,  and  several  persons  were 
arrested  as  traitors  and  spies.  Also  five  thou 
sand  men  were  quickly  in  arms  ready  to  defend 
the  city,  and  companies  of  militia  came  pouring 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  117 

in  from  the  country.  All  this  within  a  few 
hours. 

"Then  General  Striker's  brigade  and  other 
military  bodies,  to  the  number  of  five  thousand 
and  with  forty  pieces  of  artillery,  were  reviewed. 
The  marine  artillery  of  Baltimore  was  one  hun 
dred  and  sixty  in  number,  commanded  by  Captain 
George  Stiles,  and  camposed  of  masters  and 
master's  mates  of  vessels  there.  It  was  a  corps 
celebrated  for  its  gallantry,  and  was  armed  with 
forty-two  pounders. 

"  Finding  the  city  so  well  prepared  to  give 
them  a  warm  reception  the  British  abandoned 
their  intention  to  attack  it,  went  to  sea,  and 
Baltimore  enjoyed  a  season  of  repose.  But,  as 
I  have  been  telling  you,  they  returned  after  the 
capture  of  Washington,  and  again  the  people 
set  to  work  at  preparations  for  defence. 

"  General  Smith  was  made  first  in  command 
of  all  the  military  force  intended  to  insure  the 
safety  of  the  city.  But  it  is  with  the  attack 
upon  Fort  McHenry  and  its  repulse  that  we  are 
concerned.  The  fort  was  garrisoned  by  about 
a  thousand  men  under  the  command  of  Major 
George  Armistead." 

"Regulars,  sir?"  asked  Walter. 

"Some  were,  others  volunteers,"  replied  the 
captain.  "  There  were,  besides,  four  land  bat 
teries  to  assist  in  the  work.  But  I  will  not  go 
into  particulars  in  regard  to  them,  as  I  know 


118  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

they  would  be  rather  uninteresting  to  the  greater 
part  of  my  listeners. 

"It  was  on  Sunday  evening,  September  11, 
that  the  British  were  seen  in  strong  force  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Patapsco,  preparing  to  land  at 
North  Point,  fifteen  miles  from  the  city  by  land, 
twelve  by  water.  Their  fleet  anchored  off  that 
point,  two  miles  from  the  shore.  It  was  a  beauti 
ful  night,  a  full  moon  shining  in  a  cloudless  sky, 
and  the  air  balmy. 

"  Ross  intended  to  take  Baltimore  by  surprise, 
and  had  boasted  that  he  would  eat  his  Sunday 
dinner  there.  At  two  o'clock  pin  the  morning 
the  boats  were  lowered  from  his  ships,  and  sea 
men  and  land  troops  went  on  shore,  protected 
by  several  gun  brigs  anchored  very  near.  The 
men  were  armed,  of  course,  and  each  boat  had  a 
carronade  ready  for  action.  Admiral  Cockburn 
and  General  Ross  were  on  shore  by  about  seven 
o'clock  with  5000  land  troops,  2000  seamen,  and 
2000  marines. 

"  Their  intention  was  to  march  rapidly  upon 
Baltimore  and  take  it  by  surprise,  therefore  they 
carried  as  little  baggage  as  possible,  and  only 
eighty  rounds  apiece  of  ammunition.  At  the 
same  time  a  frigate  was  sent  to  make  soundings 
in  the  channel  leading  to  Baltimore,  as  the  navy 
was  intended  to  take  part  in  the  attack  upon 
the  city." 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  119 

"Oh,  wasn't  everybody  terribly  frightened, 
papa?"  asked  Grace. 

"  There  was  a  good  deal  of  alarm,"  replied 
the  captain,  "and  many  of  the  citizens  fled, 
with  their  valuables,  to  places  in  the  interior  of 
the  country,  filling  the  hotels  for  nearly  a  hun 
dred  miles  north  of  the  city. 

"  I  will  not  at  present  go  into  the  details  of 
the  battle  of  North  Point,  which  immediately 
followed,  but  will  tell  of  what  was  going  on 
upon  the  water. 

"  The  British  frigates,  schooners,  sloops,  and 
bomb-ketches  had  passed  into  the  Patapsco  early 
in  the  morning,  while  Ross  was  moving  from 
North  Point,  and  anchored  off  Fort  McHenry, 
but  beyond  the  reach  of  its  guns.  The  bomb 
and  rocket  vessels  were  so  posted  as  to  act  upon 
Fort  McHenry  and  the  fortifications  on  the  hill, 
commanded  by  Rodgers.  The  frigates  were 
stationed  farther  outward,  the  water  being  too 
shallow  to  allow  them  to  approach  within  four 
or  five  miles  of  the  city,  or  two  and  a  half  of 
the  fort. 

"  Besides,  the  Americans  had  sunk  twenty-four 
vessels  in  the  narrow  channel  between  Fort 
McHenry  and  Lazaretto  Point,  to  prevent  the 
passage  of  the  vessels  of  the  enemy. 

"  That  night  was  spent  by  the  British  fleet  in 
preparations  for  the  morrow's  attack  upon  the 


120  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

fort  and  the  entrenchments  on  the  hill,~and  on 
the  morning  of  the  13th  their  bomb-vessels 
opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  the  American  works, 
about  seven  o'clock,  and  at  a  distance  of  two 
miles.  They  kept  up  a  heavy  bombardment 
until  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

"Armistead  at  once  opened  the  batteries  of 
Fort  McHenry  upon  them,  but,  after  keeping  up 
a  brisk  fire  for  some  time,  discovered  that  his 
missiles  fell  short  and  were  harmless.  It  was  a 
great  disappointment  to  find  that  he  must  en 
dure  the  tremendous  shower  of  the  shells  of  the 
enemy  without  being  able  to  return  it  in  kind, 
or  do  anything  whatever  to  check  it.  But  our 
brave  fellows  kept  at  their  posts,  enduring  the 
storm  with  great  courage  and  fortitude. 

"At  length  a  bomb-shell  dismounted  one  of 
the  twenty-four  pounders,  killing  Lieutenant 
Claggett  and  wounding  several  of  his  men. 
That  caused  some  confusion,  which  Cochrane 
perceived,  and,  hoping  to  profit  by  it,  he  or 
dered  three  of  his  bomb-vessels  to  move  up 
nearer  the  fort,  thinking  to  thus  increase  the 
effectiveness  of  his  guns. 

"No  movement  could  have  been  more  accept 
able  to  Armistead,  and  he  quickly  took  advan 
tage  of  it,  ordering  a  general  cannonade  and 
bombardment  from  every  part  of  the  fort,  thus 
punishing  the  enemy  so  severely  that  in  less  than 
half  an  hour  he  fell  back  to  his  old  anchorage. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  121 

"One  of  their  rocket  vessels  was  so  badly  in 
jured  that,  to  save  her  from  being  entirely  de 
stroyed,  a  number  of  small  boats  had  to  be  sent 
to  tow  her  out  of  the  reach  of  Armistead's  guns. 
The  garrison  gave  three  cheers  and  ceased  fir 
ing. 

"  The  British  vessels  returned  to  their  former 
stations  and  again  opened  fire,  keeping  up,  with 
very  little  intermission,  a  furious  bombard 
ment  until  past  midnight,  when  it  was  discov 
ered  that  they  (the  British)  had  sent  a  pretty 
large  force  up  the  Patapsco  to  capture  Fort  Cov- 
ington,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Newcomb, 
of  the  United  States  Navy,  and  the  City  Bat 
tery,  then  attack  Fort  McHenry  in  the  rear. 
For  this  purpose  there  had  been  sent  one  thou 
sand  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  in  barges,  with 
scaling  ladders  and  other  implements  for  storm 
ing  the  fort.  But  providentially  their  errand 
was  made  known  to  the  garrison  of  Fort 
McHenry  in  good  season  by  the  throwing  up 
of  rockets  to  examine  the  shores,  and  not  the 
fort  alone  but  also  two  redoubts  on  the  Patapsco 
immediately  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  them, 
and  drove  them  away. 

"  So  heavy  was  the  firing  'that  the  houses  of 
Baltimore  were  shaken  to  their  very  founda 
tions.  Lossing  tells  us  that  Rodgers's  men  in 
Fort  Covington  worked  their  guns  with  effect, 
but  to  Webster's  continuous  cannonade  with 


122  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

his  six  gun  battery  Armistead  said  he  was  per 
suaded  the  country  was  much  indebted  for  the 
final  repulse  of  the  enemy.  The  historian  adds 
that  he  thinks  it  not  too  much  to  say  that  Web 
ster's  gallant  conduct  on  that  occasion  saved 
both  Fort  Mcllenry  and  the  city." 

"  Were  any  of  the  British  killed,  sir?"  asked 
Walter. 

"Yes,  a  large  number;  also  two  of  their 
vessels  were  sunk." 

"And  did  they  go  on  firing  at  the  fort?" 

"They  did,  until  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning 
of  the  14ih,  then  ceased  entirely." 

"  Oh,  papa,  you  have  not  told  us  of  the  writing 
of  the  'Star-Spangled  Banner'!"  exclaimed 
Lulu.  "Wasn't  it  that  night  it  was  written?" 

"Yes;  by  Mr.  Francis  S.  Key,  a  resident  of 
Georgetown  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  who 
was  at  that  time  a  volunteer  in  the  light  artil 
lery  commanded  by  Major  Peter. 

"Wljen  the  British  returned  to  their  vessels 
after  the  capture  of  Washington,  they  carried 
with  them  Dr.  Beanes,  a  well  known  physician 
of  Upper  Marlborough.  Cockburn  carried  him 
away  on  board  the  flag-ship  of  Admiral  Coch- 
rane,  in  spite  of  the  intercession  of  his  friends. 

"  Then  Mr.  Key  was  entreated  by  the  friends 
to  go  to  Cochrane  and  intercede  for  the  doctor's 
release.  Key  consented,  obtained  permission 
of  the  President,  and  went  under  a  flag  of  truce 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  123 

in  the  cartel  ship  Minden  in  company  with  Gen 
eral  Skinner. 

"When  they  reached  the  British  fleet  it 
was  at  the  mouth  of  the  Potomac,  prepar 
ing  to  attack  Baltimore,  and  though  Cochrane 
agreed  to  release  Dr.  Beanes,  he  refused  to  let 
him  or  his  friends  return  then.  They  were 
placed  on  board  the  Sitrprue  and  courteously 
treated.  The  fleet  sailed  up  to  the  Patapsco, 
and  they  were  transferred  to  their  own  vessel, 
but  with  a  guard  of  marines  to  prevent  them 
from  landing  and  communicating  with  their 
friends  and  countrymen. 

"  Their  vessel  was  anchored  in  sight  of  Fort 
McHenry,  and  from  her  deck  the  Americans 
watched  the  fight,  oh,  so  anxiously!  and  though 
it  was,  as  I  have  said,  over  before  midnight, 
those  anxious  watchers  did  not  know  until  morn 
ing  how  it  had  ended — whether  by  surrender  of 
the  fort,  or  the  abandonment  on  the  part  of  the 
enemy  of  the  attempt  to  take  it.  It  was  with 
very  anxious  hearts  they  waited  for  the  com 
ing  of  the  dawn,  but  at  last,  in  the  dim  light, 
as  the  day  began  to  break,  their  eyes  were 
gladdened  by  the  sight,  through  their  glasses 
directed  toward  Fort  McHenry,  of  the  beauti 
ful  stars  and  stripes  'still  there,'  and  to  their 
great  joy  they  soon  learned  that  the  attack  on 
Baltimore  had  failed,  that  Ross  was  killed,  and 
*he  British  were  returning  to  their  vessels. 


124  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"It  was  while  pacing  'the  deck  during  the 
bombardment,  full  of  anxiety  for  the  result,  that 
Mr.  Key  composed  that  song  so  dear  to  the 
American  heart,  'The  Star-Spangled  Banner.'  " 

"Oh,  let  us  sing  it!"  exclaimed  Lulu,  and 
with  one  consent,  patriotic  enthusiasm  swelling 
in  every  breast,  they  did  so,  the  voices  of  old 
and  young  uniting  in  the  soul-stirring  words. 

''*  Oh,  say,  can  you  see,  by  the  dawn's  early  light, 

What  BO  proudly  we  hailed  at  the  twilight's  last 

gleaming  ? 
Whose  broad    stripes  and  bright  stars,  through  the 

perilous  fight, 

O'er  the   ramparts  we  watched  were  so  gallantly 
streaming 

And  the  rockets'  red  glare 
The  bombs  bursting  in  air, 
Gave  proof  through  the  night  that  our  flag  was  still 

there ; 

Oh,  say,  does  that  star-spangled  banner  yet  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave  ? 

3<  On  that  shore  dimly  seen  through  the  mists  of  the  deep, 
Where  the  foe's  haughty  host  in  dread  silence  re 
poses, 

What  is  that  which  the  breeze,  o'er  the  lowering  steep, 
As  it  fitfully  blows,  now  conceals,  now  discloses? 
Now  it  catches  the  gleam 
Of  the  morning's  first  beam, 
In  full  glory  reflected,  now  shines  in  the  stream ; 
Tis  the  star-spangled  banner  ;  oh,  long  may  it  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave ! 


ELSIE  A  T  VIAMEDE.  1 25 

*  And  where  are  the  foes  who  so  vauntingly  swore 

That  the  havoc  of  war,  and  the  battle's  confusion, 
A  home  and  a  country  should  leave  us  no  more  ? 
Their  blood  has  washed  out  their  foul  footsteps 
pollution ; 

No  refuge  could  save 
The  hireling  and  slave, 

From  the  terror  of  flight,  or  the  gloom  of  the  grave ; 
And  the  star-spangled  banner  in  triumph  doth  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave  ! 

''  Oh,  thus  be  it  ever,  when  freemen  shall  stand 

Between  their  loved  homes  and  the  war's  desolation  I 
Blest  with  victory  and  peace,  may  the  heaven-rescued 

land 

Praise  the  Power  that  hath  made  and  preserved  us  a 
nation  1 

Then  conquer  we  must 
When  our  cause  it  is  just, 
And  this  be  our  motto,  '  In  God  is  our  trust '; 
And  the  star-spangled  banner  in  triumph  shall  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave  I " 

A  moment  of  silence  followed  the  dying  away 
of  the  last  strains,  then  Captain  Raymond  re 
sumed  his  narrative : 

"The  first  rough  notes  of  the  song  were 
written  by  Key  upon  the  back  of  a  letter  he 
happened  to  have  in  his  pocket,  and  after  his 
arrival  in  Baltimore  he  wrote  it  out  in  full. 
The  next  morning  he  read  it  to  his  uncle,  Judge 
Nicholson,  one  of  the  gallant  defenders  of  the 
fort,  asking  his  opinion  of  it.  The  judge  was 


126  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

delighted  with  it,  took  it  to  the  printing  office 
of  Captain  Benjamin  Edes,  and  directed  copies 
to  be  struck  off  in  handbill  form.  That  was 
done,  the  handbills  were  distributed,  and  it 
was  sung  first  in  the  street,  in  front  of  Edes' 
office,  by  James  Lawrenson,  a  lad  but  twelve 
years  of  age.  That  was  on  the  second  day 
after  the  bombardment  of  Fort  McHenry. 
The  song  was  'set  up,'  printed,  and  distributed 
by  another  lad  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  old, 
named  Samuel  Sands.  It  created  intense  enthu 
siasm,  was  sung  nightly  at  the  theater,  and 
everywhere  in  public  and  private." 

"Papa,"  asked  Lulu,  "  what  became  of  that 
very  star-spangled  banner  Mr.  Key  was  looking 
for  when  he  wrote  the  song?" 

u I  presume  it  is  still  in  existence,"  replied 
her  father.  "  Lossing  says  it  was  shown  him  in 
Baltimore,  during  the  Civil  War,  by  Christopher 
Hughes  Armistead,  the  son  of  the  gallant  de 
fender  of  the  fort,  and  that  it  had  in  it  eleven 
holes  made  by  the  shot  of  the  British  [during 
the  bombardment." 

"  Had  not  the  British  made  very  sure  before 
hand  of  being  able  to  take  Baltimore,  Captain?" 
asked  Evelyn. 

"Yes;  and  their  intention  was  to  make  it 
the  base  for  future  operations.  As  early  as  the 
17th  of  June  a  London  paper  said,  'In  the  diplo 
matic  circles  it  is  rumored  that  our  naval  and 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  127 

military  commanders  on  the  American  station 
have  no  power  to  conclude  any  armistice  or  sus 
pension  of  arms.  They  carry  with  them  certain 
terms  which  will  be  offered  to  the  American 
government  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  There 
is  reason  to  believe  that  America  will  be  left 
in  a  much  worse  situation,  as  a  naval  and  com 
mercial  power,  than  she  was  at  the  com 
mencement  of  the  war." 

"  Ah,  but  they  crowed  too  soon — before  they 
were  out  of  the  woods,"  laughed  Waltert 
"They  needed  the  lesson  they  got  at  Baltimore, 
and  the  one  Jackson  gave  them  some  months 
later  at  New  Orleans." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

"CAPTAIN,  I  fear  we  have  been  imposing 
sadly  upon  good  nature  in  asking  so  much 
history  of  you  in  one  evening,"  remarked 
Grandma  Elsie ;  "  and  you  have  been  extremely 
kind  in  complying  with  the  request." 

"It  has  been  a  pleasure  to  me,  mother,"  he  re 
turned.  "  There  is  hardly  a  subject  more  inter 
esting  to  me  than  the  history  of  my  dear  native 
land,  and  it  is  my  ardent  desire  to  train  and 
teach  my  children  to  be  earnestly,  intelligently 
patriotic." 

"Including  your  pupils  in  the  list,  I  pre 
sume,  sir?"  supplemented  Rosie,  with  a  saucy 
smile  up  into  his  face. 

"  Of  course,  little  sister,  and  as  many  others  as 
I  can  influence,"  was  his  pleasant  toned  re 
joinder.  "  But  I  am  happy  to  believe  that  there 
are  few  Americans  who  are  not  ardent  lovers  of 
their  own  country,  considering  it  the  best  the 
sun  shines  upon." 

"As  it  certainly  is,  sir!"  exclaimed  Walter. 
"I'm  more  thankful  than  words  'can  express 
that  God  gave  me  my  birth  in  the  United 
States  of  America." 

138 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  129 

"As  I  have  no  doubt  we  all  are,  little 
brother,"  said  Violet.  "But  to  change  the  sub 
ject  :  when  shall  we  take  that  delightful  trip  to 
New  Orleans?  I  suppose  the  sooner  the  better, 
that  we  may  not  be  too  much  hurried  with  the 
necessary  dressmaking?" 

"I  think  so,"  said  her  mother,  "for  both  the 
reason  you  have  given  and  because  the  weather 
will  soon  become  unpleasantly  warm  for  shop 
ping  in  the  city." 

"You  are  going  with  us,  mamma?"  queried 
Rosie. 

"  I  really  have  not  thought  of  it,  and  prob 
ably  it  would  be  more  prudent  for  me  to 
stay  quietly  where  I  am,  Rosie  dear,"  .she 
replied. 

"  Oh,  mamma,  we  must  have  you  along  if  you 
are  able  to  go!"  exclaimed  Walter.  "Please 
do  say  that  you  will." 

"Yes,  mamma  dear,  I  think  it  would  do  you 
good,"  said  Violet;  and  all  the  young  folks 
joined  urgently  in  the  request  that  she  would 
make  one  of  the  party. 

"Perhaps  you  might,  Elsie,"  her  father  said 
in  reply  to  an  inquiring  look  directed  to  him. 
"I  incline  to  the  opinion  that  such  a  change, 
after  your  long  seclusion  here,  might,  probably 
would  be,  of  benefit." 

"Possibly,  father,"  she  said,  "though  I  had 
been  thinking  my  staying  at  home  might  make 


130  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

Vi  more  comfortable  in  leaving  her  little  ones 
for  a  day  or  two." 

"I  do  not  care  to  go,  and  will  gladly  take 
charge  of  the  babies  if  Vi  and  the  captain 
will  trust  me  with  them,"  Grandma  Rose  has 
tened  to  say,  and  was  warmly  thanked  by  both 
parents,  and  assured  that  they  would  have  no 
hesitation  in  doing  so  except  on  the  score  of 
giving  her  too  much  care  and  trouble  and 
missing  her  pleasant  companionship  on  the  con 
templated  trip. 

However,  after  some  further  discussion  of  the 
matter,  it  was  decided  that  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dins- 
more  would  remain  at  Viamede  in  charge  of 
house  and  little  ones  during  the  short  absence 
of  the  others  on  the  contemplated  trip. 

"Papa,  dear  papa,"  Lulu  said,  with  tears  shin 
ing  in  her  eyes,  and  putting  her  arms  lovingly 
about  his  neck  when  he  had  come  into  her 
room  to  bid  her  good-night,  as  his  custom  was, 
"you  are  so  good  tome,  your  own  bad,  quick 
tempered  little  daughter!  Oh,  I  do  want  to  be 
good  and  make  you  glad  that  I  belong  to  you." 

"  I  am  that,  my  darling,  in  spite  of  all  your 
faults,"  he  said,  caressing  her  tenderly.  "You 
are  very  dear  to  your  father's  heart,  and  I  am 
not  without  hope  that  you  will  one  day  gain 
full  control  of  the  temper  which  causes  so  much 
pain  to  both  you  and  me." 

"Oh,  1  do  hope  I  shall,  papa,  and  I  want  you 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  131 

to  punish  me  every  time  I  indulge  it,"  she  said; 
"but  I'm  so  glad,  so  thankful  to  you  that  you 
have  said  I  may  go  with  you  and  the  others  to 
morrow.  I  feel  that  I  don't  deserve  it  in  the 
least,  but  I  do  intend  to  try  as  hard  as  possible 
to  rule  my  own  spirit  in  future." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  daughter,"  the  captain 
responded,  imprinting  a  kiss  upon  her  forehead. 
"But  I  must  leave  you  now,  for  it  is  growing 
late  and  you  ought  to  be  in  bed,  that  you  may 
be  ready  to  rise  betimes  in  the  morning." 

"Yes,  sir;  but  oh,  do  stay  one  minute  longer; 

I — I "  she  paused,  blushing  and  a  trifle 

shame  faced. 

""What  is  it,  daughter?"  he  asked,  smooth 
ing  her  hair  and  cheek  caressingly.  "Never  be 
afraid  to  tell  your  father  all  that  is  in  your 
heart." 

"Yes,  sir;  I  don't  think  I'm  really  afraid — 
yes,  I  am  a  little  afraid  you  might  be  dis 
pleased,  and  I  don't  want  to  do  anything  to  vex 
or  trouble  my  dear,  kind  father,  but  if  you're 
willing,  papa,  I  would  like  to  be  allowed  to 
choose  for  myself  what  I'm  to  wear  to  the 
wedding." 

"Your  taste  and  wishes  shall  certainly  be 
consulted,  daughter,"  he  replied  kindly,  "yet  I 
am  not  prepared  to  promise  that  you  may  have 
in  every  case  exactly  what  you  would  prefer; 
we  must  take  your  mamma  and  Grandma  Elsie 


132  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

into  our  counsels  in  order  to  make  sure  of  get 
ting  what  will  be  most  becoming  and  appropri 
ate." 

"Dear  me,  I  would  like  to  be  grown  up 
enough  to  be  considered  capable  of  choosing 
things  for  myself!"  she  exclaimed  with  rueful 
look  and  tone.  "  But  oh,  don't  be  grieved  and 
troubled,"  as  her  ear  caught  the  sound  of  a  low 
breathed  sigh;  "I'm  determined  I  will  be  good 
about  it.  It  certainly  would  be  a  very  great 
shame  if  I  were  anything  "else,  papa,  after  all 
your  undeserved  goodness  to  me." 

"I  do  not  like  to  refuse  my  dear  child  any 
thing  she  asks,"  he  said,  drawing  her  into  a 
closer  embrace,  "but  I  know  too  much  indul 
gence  would  not  be  for  her  happiness  in  the  end. 
And  since  life  is  short  and  uncertain  with  us  all, 
it  may  be  that  she  will  not  be  long  troubled  by 
being  subject  to  her  father's  control." 

"Oh,  papa,  please  don't  talk  so!"  she  ex 
claimed,  sudden  tears  springing  to  her  eyes.  "  I 
can't  bear  to  think  of  ever  losing  my  own  dear, 
dear  father.  I  hope  God  may  let  you  live  till 
he  is  ready  to  take  me  too." 

"  If  he  sees  best  I  hope  we  may  long  be  spared 
to  each  other,"  the  captain  said,  holding  her 
close  to  his  heart.  "But  now  about  the  matter 
of  which  we  were  speaking.  Wise  as  my  dear 
eldest  'daughter  considers  herself,  her  father 
thinks  Grandma  Elsie  and  Mamma  Vi,  by  reason 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  133 

of  their  snperior  age  and  knowledge,  will  be 
better  capable  of  judging  what  will  be  most 
suitable  for  her  to  wear  as  one  of  the  bride's- 
maids.  And  as  they  are  very  tasteful  in  their 
own  dress,  and  her  father  is  ready  to  go  to  any 
reasonable  expense  that  his  dear  little  girl  may 
be  suitably  and  tastefully  attired,  also  entirely 
willing  to  allow  her  to  decide  for  herself  where- 
ever  there  is  a  choice  between  two  or  more 
equally  suitable  articles,  do  'you  not  think,  as 
he  does,  that  she  should  be  ready  and  willing  to 
take  what  the  ladies  and  he  deem  most  suitable 
in  other  things  which  she  would  perhaps  prefer 
to  have  somewhat  different?" 

"Yes,  you  dear  papa,"  she  returned,  with  a 
look  of  ardent  affection  into  his  eyes.  "  I  do 
always  find  out  in  the  end  that  you  know  best; 
and  I'd  even  rather  wear  any  of  the  dresses  I 
have  now  than  not  have  you  pleased  with  me ; 
for  I  know  I'm  never  the  least  bit  happy  when 
you  are  displeased  with  me." 

"Neither  am  I,"  he  sighed;  "it  troubles  me 
more  than  I  can  tell  when  my  dear  daughter 
Lulu  is  disobedient  and  wilful.  But  it  is  high 
time  you  were  in  bed  and  resting.  God  our 
heavenly  Father  bless  my  dear  child  and  keep 
her  safely  through  the  silent  watches  of  the 
night."  And,  bestowing  upon  her  another  ten 
der  embrace,  he  released  her  and  left  the  room. 

She  was  quite  ready  for  bed,  and  as  she  laid 


134  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

her  head  on  her  pillow,  "Lulu  Raymond,"  she 
said  to  herself,  "  if  you  do  the  least  thing  to  vex 
or  trouble  that  dear  father  of  yours,  no  punish 
ment  he  could  possibly  inflict  would  be  equal  to 
your  deserts." 

In  another  minute  she  was  fast  asleep,  nor 
did  she  move  again  till  awakened  by  some  slight 
sound  to  find  the  sun  already  shining  in  at  her 
windows. 

Her  father  had  directed  her  the  night  before 
what  to  wear  as  most  suitable  for  making  the 
trip  to  the  city  and  back  again,  and  she  now 
made  her  toilet  in  haste,  but  with  the  care  that 
he  required,  and  which  her  own  neat  taste 
made  desirable.  She  had  just  finished  when  he 
came  in. 

"That  is  right,"  he  said,  with  an  approving 
smile,  and  bending  down  to  give  her  the  usual 
morning  caress;  "my  little  girl  looks  neat  and 
bright,  and  I  hope  is  quite  well." 

"Yes,  papa,"  she  returned,  putting  her  arms 
round  his  neck  and  her  lips  to  his  in  an  ardent 
kiss;  "and  are  you  and  all  the  rest?" 

"All,  so  far  as  I  know,  and  all  who  are  to 
take  the  little  trip  with  us  full  of  pleasurable 
excitement.  We  must  now  go  down  to  break 
fast,  which  is  earlier  than  usual  this  morning, 
for  we  expect  the  boat  in  an  hour  or  so." 

He  took  her  hand  and  led  her  from  the  room 
as  he  spoke.  "  The  others  have  nearly  all  gone 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  135 

down  already,"  he  added,  "and  there  is  the  bell 
now;  so  we  have  no  time  to  lose." 

Lulu  was  full  of  pleasurable  excitement. 
"  Oh,  I'm  so  glad  and  so  thankful  to  you,  papa, 
that  you  will  let  me  go !"  she  exclaimed,  lifting 
to  his  eyes  sparkling  with  joyous  anticipation ; 
"for  I  know  I  don't  deserve  it  in  the  very  least. 
But  I  do  intend  to  be  as  pleasant  tempered  and 
obedient  as  possible." 

"I  don't  doubt  it,  daughter,  or  expect  to 
have  any  trouble  with  you,"  he  said  kindly. 

But  now  they  had  reached  [the  dining  room 
door,  morning  salutations  were  exchanged  as 
the  different  members  of  the  family  came  flock 
ing  in,  all  quickly  took  their  places  at  the  table, 
the  blessing  was  asked,  and  the  meal  began. 

The  talk  was  almost  exclusively  of  what 
would  probably  be  seen  and  done  during  the 
trip  by  those  who  were  to  take  it,  suitable 
gifts  for  the  bride  that  was  to  be,  and  necessary 
or  desirable  shopping  for  themselves  and  those 
remaining  at  home. 

Lulu,  sitting  beside  her  father,  asked  in  a 
low  aside,  "Papa,  may  I  buy  a  handsome  pres 
ent  for  Cousin  Betty?  I've  had  occasion  to 
spend  hardly  any  pocket-money  since  we  have 
been  here;  so  I  think  I've  enough  to  get  her 
something  handsome." 

"  I  shall  be  pleased  to  have  you  do  so,"  he  re< 
plied,  with  a  pleasant  smile. 


136  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"And  I  may  choose  it  myself?" 

"Yes;  but  don't  you  think  it  would  be  well 
to  get  some  assistance  from  the  rest  of  us  in 
making  your  choice?" 

"Oh,  yes,  sir;  yes  indeed.  I  really  would 
not  want  to  buy  anything  you  and  Grandma 
Elsie  and  Mamma  Vi  thought  unsuitable,  or 
that  would  not  be  likely  to  please  Cousin 
Betty." 

"And  may  I  too,  papa?"  asked  Grace,  who, 
seated  close  to  his  other  side,  had  overheard 
the  bit  of  low  toned  talk. 

"Yes,  yes  indeed,  little  daughter,"  he  replied, 
laying  a  caressing  hand  upon  her  head  for  an 
instant. 

An  hour  later  the  little  party  were  all  on 
board  the  boat  steaming  away  in  the  direction 
of  the  Gulf,  and  the  talk  was  more  of  the  beauti 
ful  country  they  were  passing  through  than  of 
the  history  of  that  portion  yet  to  be  visited. 
Their  route  grew  more  interesting  to  the  young 
people,  and  indeed  to  all,  as  they  came  upon 
scenes  made  memorable  by  events  in  the  Revolu 
tionary  and  Civil  Wars  and  that  of  1812-14. 

As  they  passed  up  the  river,  the  captain 
pointed  out  Forts  St.  Philip  and  Jackson,  and 
other  localities  connected  with  the  doings  and 
happenings  of  those  times,  all  gazing  upon  them 
as  scenes  to  be  indelibly  impressed  upon  the 
memory  of  every  lover  of  our  dear  native  land. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  137 

The  localities  about  New  Orleans  connected 
with  the  struggle  there  against  British  invaders 
and  aggressors,  received  due  attention  also,  and 
were  regarded  with  equal  interest  by  the  young 
girls  and  Walter,  to  say  nothing  of  the  older 
members  of  the  party. 

Lulu  and  Grace,  not  to  speak  of  Rosie  and 
Evelyn,  who  were  allowed  more  latitude  in 
their  selection,  or  of  Walter,  who  was  more 
than  willing  to  trust  to  "mamma's  taste"  rather 
than  his  own,  readily  adopted  the  opinions  of 
papa,  Grandma  Elsie,  and  Mamma  Vi. 

On  the  evening  of  their  second  day  in  the  city 
they  went  to  their  hotel,  weary  enough,  to  enjoy 
a  few  hours  of  rest. 

"Mamma  dear,"  said  Violet,  glancing  at  her 
mother's  face  as  they  entered  the  lower  hall, 
"  you  do  look  so  fatigued ;  let  us  step  into  this 
parlor  and  rest  a  little  before  going  to  our 
rooms." 

"Perhaps  it  would  be  as  well  to  do  so," 
replied  Mrs.  Travilla,  following  her  daughter 
into  the  room  and  sinking  wearily  into 
an  easy  chair  which  Violet  drew  forward  for 
her. 

"  Oh,  dear  Grandma  Elsie,  how  tired  you  do 
look!"  exclaimed  Grace;  and  Walter,  speaking 
at  the  same  instant,  said  in  a  tone  of  deep  con 
cern,  "Oh,  mamma,  how  pale  you  are!  You 
must  be  ill.  I  wish  Cousin  Arthur,  or  some 


138  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

other  good  doctor,  was  here  to  do  something  to 
make  you  feel  better. " 

"  Mamma,  dear  mamma,  I  fear  you  are  really 
ill!"  exclaimed  Rosie  in  a  tone  of  anxiety,  while 
Lulu  ran  back  into  the  hall  in  search  of  her 
father,  who  had  stepped  aside  to  the  clerk's  desk 
to  attend  to  some  business  matter;  for  to  her 
he  was  a  tower  of  strength  to  be  flown  to  in 
every  need. 

But  an  elderly  lady  and  gentleman,  the  only 
other  occupants  of  the  parlor  at  the  moment, 
hastily  rose  and  drew  near  the  little  group,  the 
lady  saying  in  a  tone  of  mingled  concern  and 
delight,  "  It  is  my  Cousin  Elsie — Mrs.  Travilla — 
I  am  sure !  You  know  me,  dear  cousin  ?  Mil 
dred  Keith — Mrs.  Dr.  Landreth?  And  this  is 
my  husband,  the  doctor.  I  think  he  could  do 
something  to  relieve  you." 

"  Cousin  Mildred !  Oh,  what  a  joyful  surprise ! 
how  glad  I  am  to  see  you!"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Travilla,  the  color  coming  back  to  her  cheek, 
and  the  light  to  her  eyes,  as  she  raised  herself 
to  a  sitting  posture  and  threw  her  arms  about 
Mildred's  neck. 

The  two  held  each  other  in  a  long,  tender  em* 
brace,  hardly  conscious  for  the  moment  of  the 
presence  of  the  others,  who  stood  looking  on  in 
surprise  and  delight,  Captain  Raymond  and 
Lulu  having  joined  the  group. 

Then  mutual  introductions  and  joyous  greet- 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  139 

ings  followed,  questions  about  absent  dear  ones 
•were  asked  and  answered,  and  each  party  learned 
that  the  other  was  in  the  city  for  but  a  brief  so 
journ,  purposing  to  go  thence  to  Viamede  or 
its  near  vicinity. 

And  in  the  meanwhile  Mrs.  Travilla  seemed  to 
have  forgotten  her  weariness  and  exhaustion, 
and  was  looking  more  than  ordinarily  young  and 
bright. 

Dr.  Landreth  remarked  it  with  a  pleased 
smile.  "I  am  glad  to  meet  you,  Cousin  Elsie," 
he  said,  "though  you  seem  no  longer  in  need  of 
my  services  as  physician." 

"No  indeed,  Cousin  Charlie,"  she  returned 
brightly;  "you  are  so  excellent  a  doctor  that 
your  very  presence — especially  when  accom 
panied  by  that  of  your  wife" — with  a  smiling 
glance  at  Mildred — "  does  one  good  like  a  medi 
cine." 

"  Still,  if  you  will  allow  it,  I  will  prescribe, 
were  it  only  to  keep  my  hand  in,"  he  said: 
•"an  hour's  rest  on  a  couch  in  your  own  room, 
to  be  followed  by  a  good,  substantial  meal 
•either  there  or  at  the  table  with  the  rest  of  us." 

"  Exactly  the  prescription  I  should  give  were 
I  your  physician,  mother,"  said  Captain  Ray 
mond.  "May  I  not  assist  you  to  your  room?" 

"Yes,"  she  said  with  a  smile.  "As  I  know 
Dr.  Landreth  to  be  an  excellent  physician  I  shall 
follow  his  advice,  confidently  expecting  to 


140  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

profit  y  so  doing.  Doctor,"  turning  to  him, 
"  we  have  a  pleasant  private  parlor  where  we  take 
our  meals  and  enjoy  each  other's  society  in  the 
intervals  of  sight-seeing,  shopping,  etc.  I  hope 
you  and  Cousin  Mildred  will  join  us  at  meal 
times,  and  all  times  when  you  find  it  agreeable, 
making  yourselves  perfectly  at  home.  Now 
good-by  for  the  present.  I  hope  to  be  able, 
after  an  hour's  rest,  to  join  you  all  at  the  tea- 
table." 

With  evident  pleasure  her  invitation  was  ac 
cepted;  an  hour  later  she  made  her  appearance 
in  the  parlor,  much  refreshed  by  rest  and  sleep ; 
a  tempting  meal  was  partaken  of  by  all,  with 
evident  appetite,  the  remainder  of  the  evening 
passed  in  delightful  social  intercourse,  and  all 
retired  early  that  they  might  be  ready  for  a 
long  day  of  interesting  and,  to  the  children  es 
pecially,  captivating  shopping;  for,  as  Rosie  re 
marked,  "  Nothing  could  be  more  enjoyable  than 
the  business  of  selecting  wedding  gifts  and 
pretty  things  to  be  worn  at  the  wedding  fes 
tivities." 

She  was  delighted  with  her  own  finery  and 
presents  for  Betty,  selected  by  herself  with  her 
mother's  assistance,  Violet  occasionally  giving 
her  opinion  or  advice,  Mrs.  Landreth  and  the 
gentlemen  doing  the  same  when  asked.  They 
consisted  of  handsome  jewelry  and  silver. 

Walter,  too,  chose,  with  his  mother's  help, 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  141 

a  *et  of  gold  lined  silver  spoons  for  his  cousin 
Betty.  Evelyn's  gift  was  a  handsome  silver  pie 
knife  and  salt  spoons.  Lulu,  too,  and  Grace, 
gave  silver,  also  a  pair  of  beautiful  gold  brace 
lets.  The  captain's  own  gift  was  an  expensive 
set  of  jewelry;  Violet's  a  lovely  bridal  veil; 
Grandma  Elsie's  a  beautiful  and  costly  diamond 
pin,  to  which  she  afterward  added  a  check  for 
five  thousand  dollars.  Also  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Lan- 
dreth  bought  as  their  gift  some  very  handsome 
articles  of  dress  and  house  furnishing. 

The  shopping  and  a  little  sight-seeing  filled 
tip  the  time  till  Saturday,  when  they  returned  to 
Viamede  by  the  same  boat  that  had  brought  the 
captain  and  his  party  to  the  city. 

It  was  a  very  warm  and  joyous  welcome  that 
awaited  them  there  from  Grandpa  and  Grandma 
Dinsmore,  and  little  Elsie  and  Ned  Raymond, 
and  none  the  less  joyous  was  the  greeting  given 
to  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Landreth  by  their  relatives  and 
old  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dinsmore. 

To  each  of  the  four  it  was  a  delightful  re 
union,  and  much  of  the  evening  was  passed  in 
recalling  the  events  of  their  intercourse  in  those 
early  days  when  Elsie  and  her  cousin  Annis 
were  happy  children  together,  these  older  ones 
gay,  young  married  folks,  the  eldest  son  of  each 
couple  but  a  baby  boy,  though  now  each  waa 
the  head  of  a  young  family  of  his  own. 

These  reminiscences  were  very  interesting  to 


142  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

themselves,  Grandma  Elsie,  and  the  Keiths, 
who  had  been  invited  to  Viamede  to  take  tea 
with  these  relatives,  and  who  were  to  go  to  the 
parsonage  after  a  short  stay  with  these  others. 

But  after  a  little  the  young  folks  grew  tired 
of  listening  to  the  talk,  and  sought  out  another 
part  of  the  veranda  where  they  could  converse 
among  themselves  without  disturbing  their 
elders. 

Captain  Raymond's  eyes  followed  the  move 
ments  of  his  little  girls  with  a  look  of  fond 
fatherly  pride,  not  without  a  shade  of  anxiety 
as  they  noted  the  weariness  in  Grace's  face, 
and  presently  he  rose  and  drew  near  the  little 
group. 

"  Gracie,  my  darling,  do  you  not  want  to  go 
to  your  bed?"  he  asked.  "  I  think  my  little  girl 
is  looking  tired  and  would  be  better  for  a  long 
night's  rest." 

"  Yes,  papa,  I  am  'most  too  tired  to  keep  my 
eyes  open,"  she  replied,  with  a  faint  smile  up 
into  his  face. 

"  Then  come,  my  pet,"  he  said,  bending  down 
and  taking  her  in  his  arms ;  "  I  will  carry  you  to 
your  room  and  bid  the  others  good-night  for  you 
"when  I  come  down  again;  you  are  too  tired  to 
wait  to  do  that  yourself,"  and  he  carried  her 
away. 

Lulu  sprang  up  and  ran  after  them.  "  Shall  I 
go  too,  papa?"  she  asked. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  143 

"If  you,  too,  feel  too  tired  to  stay  up  for 
prayers,"  he  answered  pleasantly;  "otherwise 
I  would  not  have  you  absent  from  that  ser 
vice." 

"Yes,  sir,  I'm  not  too  tired.  Good-night, 
Gracie,"  she  said,  and  ran  back  to  her  mates. 

Their  tongues  were  running  on  the  old  theme 
of  the  wedding  so  soon  to  take  place,  gifts  to 
the  bride,  and  dresses  to  be  worn  by  her  and  her 
attendants.  But  all  of  them  were  pretty  well 
worn  out  with  the  shopping  and  traveling  gone 
through  in  the  last  few  days,  seeing  which  their 
elders  thought  best  to  hold  the  evening  service 
a  little  earlier  than  usual,  then  retired  to  rest. 

"  Papa,  please  may  I  ask  a  few  questions  now, 
before  you  leave  me?"  Lulu  entreated  when  he 
came  in  to  bid  her  good-night. 

"Yes,"  he  replied  with  an  amused  look; 
"that  is  number  one,  and  how  many  are  to 
follow?"  seating  himself  and  drawing  her  to  his 
knee. 

"Oh,  I  don't  know  exactly,  sir;  it  will  de 
pend  somewhat  upon  the  answers,  I  think,"  she 
returned  laughingly,  putting  an  arm  round  his 
neck  and  kissing  him  with  ardent  affection. 

"  Then  let  me  go  through  the  ordeal  as  soon 
as  possible,"  he  responded,  patting  her  cheek  and 
pressing  his  lips  to  hers. 

"  I  hope  it  won't  be  a  very  dreadful  ordeal  to 
you,  papa,"  she  said,  smiling  up  into  hia  eyes. 


144  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"Firstly,  then,  are  we  to  have  school  as  usual 
between  this  and  the  time  of  the  wedding?" 

"Yes,"  was  the  prompt,  decided  reply. 

"Oh,  dear!"  she  said  between  a  sigh  and  a 
laugh,  "I  'most  wish  you  were  one  of  the 
fathers  that  could  be  coaxed.  But  oh,  please 
don't  begin  to  look  sorry  and  grave.  I'm  de 
termined  I  will  be  good  about  that  and  every 
thing;  just  as  good  as  I  know  hew  to  be;  and 
if  I'm  not  I  just  hope  you'll  punish  me  well,  only 
not  by  refusing  to  allow  me  to  act  as  brides^ 
maid  to  Cousin  Betty." 

"Love  to  your  father  and  a  desire  to  please 
him  seems  to  me  a  far  better  motive  for  good 
behavior  than  fear  of  punishment,"  he  said 
•with  grave  look  and  tone. 

"Yes,  sir;  and  that  is  my  motive;  please  be 
lieve  it,  my  own  dear,  dear  father,"  she  said, 
lifting  dewy  eyes  to  his. 

"  Then  I  have  strong  hope  that  my  pleasure 
in  the  coming  festivities  will  not  be  spoiled  by 
having  a  naughty,  rebellious  little  daughter  to 
deal  with,  or  an  idle  one,  either.  Now  what 
"else?" 

"Only  this,  papa:  that  if  you  should  have 
letters  to  write  you  will  let  me  help  you,  using 
my  typewriter,  you  know." 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear  little  helpful  daughter. 
Should  I  find  that  I  have  letters  you  could  an. 
swer  for  me  in  that  way,  I  will  call  upon  you 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  145 

for  your  offered  assistance,  as  I  well  know  it 
will  be  a  pleasure  to  you  to  render  it,"  he  re 
plied,  with  a  smile  and  another  tender  carass. 
"And  I  hope  you  feel  no  doubt  that  it  is  not 
for  lack  of  love  for  his  dear  child  that  your 
father  refuses  the  holiday  you  have  asked  for." 

"No  indeed,  papa.  I  know  you  love  me 
dearly.  It  would  break  my  heart  to  think  you 
didn't." 

"As  it  would  mine  to  think  my  little  girl  did 
not  love  me.  Now  you  must  go  at  once  to  bed. 
Good-night  and  pleasant  dreams." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

IT  was  early  morning  at  Ion,  breakfast  await 
ing  the  return  of  Mr.  Edward  Travilla,  who 
had  ridden  into  the  village  on  some  business 
errand,  leaving  word  that  he  would  he  back 
within  the  hour  to  partake  of  the  morning  meal 
with  his  wife. 

Zoe,  tastefully  attired,  was  on  the  veranda, 
and  the  twin  babies,  fresh  from  their  bath, 
looking,  the  young  mother  averred,  like  little  an 
gels  in  their  dainty  white  robes,  were  toddling 
about  there,  laughing,  cooing,  and  prattling. 
They  were  the  idols  of  her  heart.  She  romped 
and  played  with  them  now,  but  with  frequent 
pauses  to  listen  for  the  sound  of  a  horse's  hoofs 
or  gaze  down  the  avenue,  saying  in  joyous  tones 
to  the  babies,  "Papa  is  coming,  coming  soon; 
dear,  dear  papa !  and  mamma  and  his  darlings 
will  be  so  glad  to  see  him.  Ah,  there  he  is  at 
last !"  she  added  at  length,  as  a  horseman  turned 
in  at  the  great  gates  and  came  at  a  quick  canter 
up  the  avenue. 

He  lifted  his  hat  with  a  bow  and  smile  to  his 
wife  as  he  drew  near;  then  alighting  at  the 
steps,  where  a  servant  took  the  reins  and  led 
the  horse  away,  he  hastily  ascended  them,  and 

146 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  147 

the  next  moment  was  seated  with  a  little  one 
upon  each  knee. 

"Papa's  darlings!"  he  said,  caressing  them 
in  turn;  "papa's  dear  pets!" 

"Tell  papa  we  have  been  wanting  him,"  said 
Zoe,  standing  alongside,  smoothing  Edward's 
hair  with  softly  caressing  hand,  and  smiling 
down  fondly  into  the  faces  of  the  three ;  "  tell 
him  he  stayed  so  long  we  did  not  know  how  to 
wait," 

"  I  must  acknowledge  I  am  a  trifle  late,  my 
dear,"  Edward  said,  smiling  up  into  the  pretty, 
rosy  face,  "detained  by  business;  but  here  is 
my  atonement,"  handing  her  a  telegram  which 
he  took  from  his  pocket. 

Zoe  read  it  aloud.  It  was  an  invitation  to  a 
wedding  (whose  it  did  not  say) ,  at  Viamede  to 
take  place  in  three  weeks  from  that  day. 

"  Why,  who  on  earth  can  be  going  to  be  mar 
ried?"  she  exclaimed  in  surprise.  "Rosie? 
Evelyn?  Lulu?  Every  one  of  them  is  too 
young."  Then  with  a  look  into  Edward's 
laughing  eyes,  "Now  you  needn't  laugh,  Ned. 
I  know  and  acknowledge  that  Rosie  is  a  little 
older  than  I  was  when  we  married,  but  we  would 
Hot  have  made  such  haste  except  under  those 
peculiar  circumstances." 

"Quite  true,  my  dear,"  he  responded.  "But 
I  suppose  you  will  hardly  think  it  necessary  to 
decline  the  invitation  on  that  account?" 


148  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"  Oh,  no  indeed,"  was  the  quick,  laughing  re 
joinder.  "  I  am  altogether  in  favor  of  accept 
ing — shall  begin  my  preparations  at  once. 
But  there's  the  breakfast  bell." 

When  they  had  fairly  begun  their  meal  the 
subject  was  renewed,  Edward  remarking,  "My 
dear,  you  will  want  a  new  dress.  If  you  like 
we  will  drive  into  the  city  this  morning,  make 
necessary  purchases,  and  at  once  set  Alma  or 
some  other  dressmaker  at  work." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  dear  Ned,"  she  returned,  her 
eyes  shining  with  pleasure;  "no  woman  ever 
had  a  more  generous  husband  than  mine.  But 
there  are  so  many  ways  for  your  money  to  go, 
and  I  have  several  that  would  be,  with  remodel 
ling  and  retrimming,  tasteful,  handsome,  and 
becoming  as  any  new  one." 

"  But  you  must  have  a  new  one,  my  love," 
Edward  replied  decidedly.  "  I  can  easily  afford 
it,  and  it  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  see  my 
little  wife  well  and  becomingly  dressed." 

"A  very  nice  speech,  my  dear  husband,"  re 
turned  Zoe  laughingly,  "  and  really  I  have  not  the 
heart  to  refuse  you  the  pleasure  of  seeing  your 
wife  arrayed  in  finery  just  suited  to  your  taste. 
So  I  am  very  glad  you  are  willing  to  go  with  me 
and  assist  in  the  selection.  Shall  we  take  the 
babies  along?" 

KTo  help  with  the  shopping?  I  doubt  if  we 
would  find  them  of  much  assistance," 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  149 

"They  are  good  little  things  though,  and 
vrould  not  be  any  hindrance,"  returned  the 
young  mother  laughingly.  "  But  the  trip  might 
interfere  with  their  morning  nap,  so  if  you 
think  best  we  will  leave  the  darlings  at 
home." 

"  I  really  think  they  would  have  a  more  com 
fortable  time,"  Edward  said;  "we  also.  Hark! 
there's  the  telephone.  Excuse  me  a  moment, 
my  dear." 

"  Certainly,  my  love,  but  as  I  may  possibly 
be  the  one  wanted,  I'll  go  along;  by  your 
leave,"  she  added  laughingly,  running  after  him 
as  he  left  the  room. 

The  call  proved  to  be  from  Mrs.  Elsie  Leland. 
A  telegram  from  Viamede  had  reached  them 
also,  and  they  would  be  at  Ion  in  the  course  of 
an  hour  to  talk  over  necessary  arrangements 
for  the  journey,  if,  as  they  supposed,  Edward  and 
Zoe  would  like  to  take  it  in  company  with  them. 
They  too  were  invited,  of  course? 

"Yes,"  Edward  answered;  "mamma  would 
qertainly  not  neglect  her  eldest  son  at  such  a 
time.  Come  over  as  soon  as  you  like,  prepared 
to  drive  into  the  city  with  us  to  make  necessary 
purchases  before  setting  the  dressmakers  at 
work  upon  suitable  adornments  for  the  ladies  of 
our  party." 

"Nothing  to  be  bought  for  the  gentlemen, 
I  suppose?"  was  Elsie's  response,  accompanied 


150  ELSIE  AT  VIAHEDE. 

by  a  low,  sweet  laugh.  "  Will  be  happy  to  ac 
cept  your  invitation.  Good-by  till  then." 

"Now  let  us  go  back  and  finish  our  break 
fast,"  said  Zoe.  "If  the  Lelands  are  to  be  here 
in  half  an  hour  we  have  no  time  to  spare." 

They  were  turning  away  when  the  bell  rang 
again. 

It  was  Ella  Conly  who  called  this  time.  The 
same  invitation  for  herself  and  brothers  had  just 
been  received.  They  knew  that  Ned  and  Zoe 
must  of  course  have  shared  the  summons  to 
Viamede,  and,  if  convenient,  they  would  call  at 
Ion  after  tea  that  evening  to  talk  over  plans  and 
preparations. 

They  were  cordially  urged  to  do  so.  Then 
Edward  called  to  his  Uncle  Horace  at  the  Oaks, 
his  Aunt  Rose  at  the  Laurels,  and  Aunt  Lora 
Howard  at  Pinegrove,  and  learned  to  his  satis 
faction  that  all  had  received,  and  would  accept 
the  same  invitation.  But  they  had  not  yet 
settled  upon  their  plans  in  regard  to  needed 
preparations  and  the  time  of  setting  out  upon 
their  journey. 

Edward  suggested  that  it  might  be  satisfac 
tory  for  all  to  meet  at  Ion  that  evening  and 
talk  the  matter  over,  an  invitation  which  was 
promptly  accepted  by  all. 

"Now  let  us  finish  our  breakfast,"  Edward 
eaid,  leading  the  way  back  to  the  table. 

"Yes,"  said  Zoe,  "for  I  am  sure  that  I  for  one 


ELSIE  AT  VTAMEDE.  151 

have  no  time  to  waste  if  I'm  to  be  ready  to 
start  for  the  city  in  an  hour." 

She  was  ready,  however,  when,  in  less  than  an 
hour,  the  Fairview  carriage  drove  up  bringing 
the  Lelands.  Elsie  declined  an  invitation  to 
alight.  "  "We  have  none  too  much  time  now," 
she  said,  "for  shopping  cannot  always  be  done 
in  haste,  and  we  are  not  making  a  very  early 
start.  Just  get  in  here  with  us,  you  two,  will 
you  not?  There  is  plenty  of  room,  and  we  can 
talk  over  matters  and  settle  plans  as  we  drive." 

"A  very  good  idea,  and  we  are  much 
obliged,"  returned  Edward,  handing  Zoe  in 
and  taking  a  seat  by  her  side. 

"Who  is  to  be  married,  Elsie?"  asked  Zoe. 
"Surely  it  could  not  be  mamma  herself?"  she 
added,  with  a  light  laugh.  "  I  feel  quite  sure 
she  would  not  accept  the  best  and  greatest  man 
upon  earth." 

"And  I  feel  as  sure  of  that  as  you  do,"  said 
Mrs.  Leland.  "She  thinks  of  my  father  not  as 
lost  to  her  but  waiting  for  her  to  rejoin  him  in 
the  better  land.  I  have  been  trying  to  think 
who  the  coming  bride  is  to  be,  and  suppose  it  is 
Betty  Johnson." 

"  But  it  may  be  that  the  groom  and  not  the 
bride  belongs  to  our  family,"  remarked  Lester. 
"Who  more  likely  than  Dick  Percival?" 

"Why,  yes,  to  be  sure!"  exclaimed  Edward. 
"It  is  about  time  Dick  nad  a  wife.  And 


152  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

mother  would  of  course  be  interested  and  ready 
to  do  anything  in  her  power  to  make  it  pleasant 
for  him  and  her." 

"  Well,  I  should  really  like  to  know  something 
more  about  it  before  choosing  gifts  for  her," 
remarked  Zoe. 

"I  too,"  said  Elsie. 

"Then  suppose  we  let  that  wait  for  another 
day,  and  content  ourselves  with  purchasing 
what  is  needed  for  the  adorning  of  you  two 
ladies,"  suggested  Edward;  and  that  was  what, 
after  a  little  further  consultation,  was  decided 
upon. 

The  city  was  reached  in  safety,  and  some 
hours  later  they  returned,  as  Zoe  said,  "Laden 
with  lovely  things  for  their  own  adorn 
ment." 

The  babies  were  on  the  veranda  waiting, 
watching  eagerly  for  papa  and  mamma,  who, 
their  nurse  kept  telling  them,  would  soon  be 
seen  coming  up  the  avenue.  When  they  did 
appear,  alighting  from  the  Fairview  carriage, 
they  were  recognized  with  a  glad  cry,  and  Zoe, 
forgetting  her  weariness,  ran  to  the  little  ones, 
embraced  first  one  and  then  the  other,  put 
a  toy  in  the  hand  of  each,  spent  another  minute 
or  two  caressing  them,  then  hurried  to  her 
own  apartments  to  dress  for  tea  and  the  family 
gathering  expected  in  the  evening. 

Elsie  and  her  husband  had  driven  home,  but 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE,  153 

would  return  for  the  informal  assembly  of  the 
members  of  the  connection. 

The  guests  came  early,  Ella  Conley  and  her 
brothers  from  Roselands  being  the  first.  Ella 
was  in  high  glee.  She  had  long  felt  an  ardent 
desire  to  visit  Viamede,  and  now  hailed  with 
delight  the  opportunity  to  do  so.  The  circum 
stances  of  both  brothers  had  greatly  improved; 
they  were  disposed  to  be  very  generous  to  the 
only  sister  remaining  at  home  with  them,  and 
had  told  her  she  must  have  a  new,  handsome 
dress  for  the  wedding,  and  everything  else  she 
needed  to  fit  her  out  well  for  the  journey  and 
a  sojourn  of  some  weeks  at  Viamede. 

Zoe  felt  flattered  by  being  consulted  in  regard 
to  necessary  or  desirable  purchases,  and  greatly 
enjoyed  exhibiting  her  own,  and>  describing 
Elsie's,  of  that  day. 

Then  the  other  families,  or  delegates  from 
them,  arrived  in  rapid  succession,  and  a  merry 
sociable  interview  ensued.  All  were  quite  re 
solved,  should  nothing  interfere,  to  accept  the 
invitation  to  Viamede,  but  some  of  them  could 
not  yet  decide  upon  the  exact  time  when  they 
would  be  prepared  to  leave  their  homes  for  that 
distant  point,  and  for  an  absence  of  several 
weeks.  But  the  Ion,  Oaks,  Fairview,  and  Rose- 
lands  people  would  all  go  in  two  weeks  in  com 
pany. 

It  was  still  early,  when  wheels  were  heard 


154  ELSIE  AT  VIANEDE. 

approaching  from  the  direction  of  the  village, 
a  hack  turned  in  at  the  gate,  drove  rapidly  up 
the  avenue,  halted  at  the  veranda  steps,  and  an 
old  gentleman  alighted. 

"  Cousin  Ronald !"  exclaimed  Elsie  Leland, 
Edward,  and  Zoe  in  a  breath,  and  they  and  the 
others  gathered  about  him  with  words  of  cordial 
greeting  and  welcome. 

"You  have  given  us  a  most  pleasant  surprise, 
Cousin  Ronald,"  Edward  said  when  the  old 
gentleman  was  comfortably  seated  in  an  easy 
chair.  "You  have  not  been  to  tea?" 

"Yes,  laddie,  I  took  that  in  the  village 
yonder  where  I  alighted  frae  the  cars.  But  the 
auld  folks  seem  to  be  missing  here,"  glancing 
about  in  search  of  them  as  he  spoke.  "I  dinna 
see  your  honored  grandsire,  his  wife,  or  my 
sweet  Cousin  Elsie,  your  mither.  The  bairns 
Rosie  and  Walter,  too,  are  not  here ;  what's  be 
come  o'  them  a',  laddie?  They 're  no  ill,  I  hope?" 

"They  were  quite  well  at  last  accounts,  sir," 
replied  Edward.  "  They  have  spent  the  winter 
and  early  spring  at  Viamede,  and  will  not  re 
turn  for  some  weeks  yet." 

"  Ah  ha !  urn  h'm !  ah  ha !"  murmured  the  old 
gentleman  reflectively.  "It's  no  the  best  o* 
news  to  me — an  auld  mon  who  has  been  wearyin' 
for  a  sight  o'  your  mother's  sweet  face." 

"Don't  say  that,  cousin,  for  we  are  going 
there  ourselves,  and  shall  be  glad  indeed  to 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  155 

take  you  with  us.  I  know  of  no  one  who 
would  be  a  more  welcome  guest  to  my  mother." 

"Have  a  care,  sir,  that  ye  dinna  tempt  an 
auld  mon  too  far,"  laughed  Cousin  Ronald. 

"  Oh,  but  you  must  go  with  us,  sir,"  said  Zoe. 
"  What  would  mamma  say  if  we  failed  to  bring 
you?  Besides,  we  want  your  company  even  if 
mamma  would  not  be  displeased  were  you  not 
-\vith  us." 

"Ah  ha!  um  h'm!  ah  ha!  Weel,  my  bonny 
leddy,  I  can  no  refuse  an  invitation  that  holds 
out  so  great  a  prospect  of  enjoyment." 

"No,  you  must  not  think  of  refusing,  Cousin 
Ronald!"  exclaimed  Edward  and  his  sister 
Elsie,  speaking  simultaneously. 

"Indeed  no,"  said  Mr.  Horace  Dinsmore; 
"we  can  assure  you  of  a  hearty  welcome,  and 
my  sister,  as  Zoe  says,  would  be  by  no  means 
pleased  should  we  fail  to  take  you  along  with 
us.  But  since  the  first  division  of  our  company 
does  not  start  for  two  weeks,  there  will  be 
abundance  of  time  to  hear  from  her  on  the 
subject." 

"  Certainly  there  will,  uncle,"  responded  Ed 
ward.  "I  shall  write  to  mamma  to-night. 
Several  of  us  have  heard  from  her  to-day 
by  telegraph,  Cousin  Ronald,  and  we  think 
we  shall  surely  have  letters  soon." 

Then  followed  the  story  of  the  telegrams 
received  that  day,  and  the  guesses  and  surmises 


156  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

as    to  whose    wedding  they   were   invited  to 
attend. 

Mr.  Lilburn  was  evidently  much  interested 
and  more  than  willing  to  yield  to  their  persua 
sions  to  accompany  them  to  Viamede. 
»  "Well,  friends  and  cousins,"  he  said,  "there 
is  scarce  anything  I  can  think  of  at  this  mo 
ment  that  would  delight  me  more  than  to  gang 
with  you  to  see  them  at  that  lovely  spot — an 
earthly  paradise,  as  it  may  well  be  called.  I 
am  somewhat  fatigued  the  now,  but  rest  for  a 
few  days — the  days  that  must  come  and  go 
afore  you  start — will  no  doubt  supply  the  needed 
strength  for  the  new  journey ;  and  the  wedding 
festivities  to  follow  will  not  come  amiss  even  to 
a  man  of  my  ain  venerable  age." 

"No,  indeed!"  exclaimed  Zoe,  "I  should 
think  not.  Surely  people  of  any  age  may  enjoy 
gay  and  festive  scenes  and  doings.  It  has  al 
ways  been  a  source  of  regret  to  me  that  Ed 
ward's  and  my  nuptials  were  graced  by  none  of 
them." 

"Possibly  there  may  be  better  luck  for  you 
next  time,  my  dear,"  remarked  Edward  laugh 
ingly- 

"Indeedl  want  no  next  time,"  she  returned 
with  spirit.  "I've  no  intention  of  trying  a 
second  husband  lest  I  might  do  worse  than  I 
did  in  taking  you. " 

"It  strikes  me  there  might  be  a  possibility 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  157 

of  doing  very  much  worse,  my  dear  niece,"  re 
marked  Mr.  Horace  Dinsmore  pleasantly. 

"As  it  does  me,"  responded  Zoe,  with  a 
proudly  affectionate  look  into  her  young  hus 
band's  eyes. 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  was  his  answering 
remark,  given  with  a  smiling,  affectionate 
glance  into  the  bright,  sweet  face. 

For  the  next  two  weeks  Zoe  and  the  other 
ladies  of  the  connection  were  very  delightfully 
busy  with  their  preparations  for  the  wed 
ding. 

Letters  had  come  telling  that  Betty  was,  as 
had  been  conjectured,  the  prospective  bride; 
also  who  was  to  be  the  groom,  where  the  cere 
mony  was  to  take  place,  the  bridal  feast  to  be 
partaken  of,  with  other  interesting  particulars. 
The  dresses  of  bride,  bridesmaids,  and  maids 
of  honor  were  not  described,  as  they  would  be 
seen  by  all  the  relatives  at,  if  not  before,  the 
wedding. 

The  journey  to  New  Orleans  was  made  by 
rail ;  from  there  they  took  a  steamboat  for  Ber 
wick  Bay,  preferring  to  make  the  rest  of  the 
journey  by  water.  The  party  consisted  of  the 
Dinsmores,  Lelands,  Travillas,  Conleys,  and 
their  Aunt  Adelaide,  Mrs.  Allison  of  Philadel 
phia,  who  had  come  on  from  her  home  shortly 
before  to  join  these  relatives  in  their  trip  to 
Louisiana;  for  she  too  had  been  urgently  invited 


158  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

to  attend  the  wedding;  and  last  but  not  least 
was  Mr.  Ronald  Lilburn. 

They  were  a  cheerful  set,  the  younger  ones 
quite  gay  and  mirthful.  There  were  a  few  other 
passengers,  among  whom  was  a  lady  clad  in  deep 
mourning — widow's  weeds — who  kept  her  face 
carefully  concealed  by  her  thick  crape  veil 
and  sat  apart,  seeming  to  studiously  avoid  all 
contact  with  her  fellow  voyagers;  observing 
which  they  refrained  from  making  advances 
toward  acquaintanceship.  But  now  and  then 
Dr.  Conley  turned  an  observing  eye  upon  her. 
There  was  a  droop  about  her  figure  that  struck 
him  as  an  indication  of  illness  or  exhaustion 
from  some  other  cause. 

At  length  he  rose,  and  stepping  to  her  side, 
said  in  a  low  sympathizing  tone,  "I  fear  you  are 
ill,  madam.  I  am  a  physician,  and  if  I  can  do 
anything  for  you  my  services  are  at  your  com 
mand." 

She  made  an  inarticulate  reply,  in  tones 
quivering  with  emotion,  staggered  to  her  feet 
as  she  spoke,  made  one  step  forward  and  would 
have  fallen  had  he  not  caught  her  with  his 
arm. 

Her  head  dropped  upon  his  shoulder,  and  in 
stantly  the  other  members  of  his  party  gathered 
about  them  with  hurried,  excited  exclamations. 
"What  is  the  matter?"  "Is  she  ill?"  "Do 
you  know  her,  Art?  She  has  fainted,  has  she 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  159 

not?"  The  last  exclamation  and  query  came 
from  the  lips  of  Mrs.  Elsie  Leland. 

"Yes;  she  is  quite  unconscious,"  was  Ar 
thur's  low  toned  reply  "and  this  thick,  heavy 
veil  is  smothering  her." 

The  next  instant  he  had  succeeded  in  disen 
tangling  it.  With  a  quick  movement  he  threw 
it  back,  lifted  the  seemingly  lifeless  form,  laid 
it  on  a  settee  with  the  head  low,  laid  his  finger 
on  her  pulse  for  an  instant,  then  began  com 
pressing  the  ribs  and  allowing  them  to  expand 
again. 

"I  will  have  to  loosen  her  clothing,"  he  said, 
leaning  over  her  to  do  so;  then  for  the  first  time 
catching  sight  of  her  face,  he  started  back  with 
a  low,  pained  exclamation:  "My  sister  Vir 
ginia!  is  it  possible!" 

"Virginia!"  exclaimed  Adelaide  and  Cal- 
houn  in  a  breath;  for  both  were  standing  near; 
"can  it  be?"  The  others  exchanged  glances 
of  astonishment;  then  Ella  asked  in  low,  terri 
fied  tones,  "O  Art,  is  she — is  she  dead?  Poor, 
poor  Virgie!" 

"No;  it  is  only  a~faint,"  he  answered,  go 
ing  on  with  his  efforts  to  restore  consciousness, 
in  which  he  was  presently  successful. 

Virginia's  eyes  opened,  looked  up  into  his 
with  evident  recognition,  then  closed,  while 
tears  stole  down  her  cheeks.  He  leant  over  her 
in  brotherly  solicitude. 


160  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"Virgie,  my  poor,  dear  sister,"  he  said  in 
tones  tremulous  with  emotion,  "you  are  with  rel 
atives  and  friends  who  will  gladly  do  anything 
and  everything  in  their  power  for  your  comfort 
and  happiness.  I  think  you  are  not  well " 

She  seemed  to  be  making  an  effort  to  speak,  and, 
leaving  his  sentence  unfinished,  he  bent  down 
over  her  with  his  ear  almost  touching  her  lips. 

"Starving,"  was  the  whispered  word  that 
came  in  reply,  and  he  started  back  aghast,  his 
features  working  with  emotion. 

"Can  it  be  possible!"  was  his  half  suppressed 
exclamation. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Calhoun;  "what  does 
she  say?" 

"She  is  faint  and  ill  with  hunger,"  returned 
his  brother  in  a  moved  tone.  "Get  me  a  glass 
of  hot  milk  as  quickly  as  you  can,  Cal,"  and 
Calhoun  hurried  away  in  quest  of  it. 

In  a  very  few  minutes  he  was  back  again 
with  a  large  tumbler  of  rich,  sweet  milk, 
which  Virginia  drank  with  avidity.  Some  more 
substantial  food  was  then  given  her,  and  after 
a  little  she  was  able  to  exchange  greetings 
with  the  other  relatives  on  board  and  to  give 
some  account  of  herself. 

"Henry  Neuville  is  dead,  and  I  set  out  on  my 
journey  to  beg  a  home  with  Isa  as  soon  as  I 
had  seen  him  laid  decently  away,"  she  said. 
"I  have  no  means  at  all — unfortunate  creature 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  161 

that  I  am — but  perhaps  I  can  make  myself  use 
ful  enough  to  earn  my  bread." 

"And  your  brothers  will  be  both  able  and 
willing  to  clothe  you,"  said  the  doctor,  Cal- 
houn  adding,  "certainly;  and  to  give  you  a 
home,  too,  should  Isa  and  her  husband  find  it 
inconvenient  to  do  so." 

At  that  tears  coursed  down  Virginia's  cheeks. 

"You  are  good,  kind  brothers,"  she  said; 
"far  better  to  me  than  I  deserve.  But  living 
with  a  man  of  the  stamp  of  Henry  Neuville 
has  taught  me  how  to  appreciate  true  gentle 
men." 

"O  Virgie,  did  he  die  as  he  had  lived?" 
asked  her  cousin  Elsie. 

"I  saw  no  sign  of  repentance  or  re  forma 
tion,  "returned  Virginia;  "he  died  of  drink  and 
with  curses  on  his  tongue.  I  can't  mourn  his 
loss;  how  could  I?  but  I'm  the  most  unfor 
tunate  woman — the  poorest  in  the  whole  connec 
tion.  I  wasn't  brought  up  to  support  myself 
either,  and  can't  do  it." 

"Perhaps  you  may  learn  how,"  said  Zoe  en 
couragingly.  "There  are  many  avenues  to  self- 
support  now  open  to  women,  you  know." 

A  look  of  disgust  and  annoyance  was  Vir 
ginia's  only  response  to  that. 

A  few  moments  of  silence  ensued,  broken  only 
by  the  prattle  of  the  little  ones,  then  there  was 
a  sudden  sound  as  of  some  heavy  body  plun« 


162  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

ging  into  the  water,  and  a  shrill  cry:  "Man 
overboard!" 

A  great  commotion  instantly  followed,  the 
captain  giving  his  orders  to  lower  a  boat  and 
go  in  search  of  the  man,  and  at  the  same  time 
Blowing  the  movements  of  the  steamer. 

Our  party  were  much  interested  and  excited, 
most  of  them  full  of  concern  for  the  drowning 
one,  who  seemed  to  have  strangely  disappeared, 
for  not  a  trace  of  him  could  be  seen  as  the  boat 
was  rowed  hither  and  thither;  and  at  length, 
resigning  all  hope  of  finding  even  the  lifeless 
body,  the  men  returned  to  the  larger  vessel  to 
report  their  failure. 

The  ladies  were  in  tears,  and  as  the  captain 
drew  near,  Zoe  asked  [in  tones  tremulous  with 
emotion,  "Is  there  no  hope  at  all  of  saving  the 
poor  fellow,  captain?" 

"I'm  afraid  he's  gone  to  the  bottom,  ma'am, 
though  it's  odd  he  couldn't  keep  up  for  the  few 
minutes  it  took  to  launch  the  boat;  but  I  sup 
pose  the  wheel  must  have  struck  him.  By  the 
way,"  he  added,  as  if  struck  by  a  sudden 
thought,  "I  don't  know  yet  who  it  was.  I 
must  have  the  crew  mustered  on  deck  and  see 
who  is  missing." 

He  proceeded  to  do  so  at  once,  when  to  the 
surprise  of  all  it  was  discovered  that  no  one 
was  missing. 

"A  stowaway,  evidently!"  growled  the  cap- 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  163 

tain,  "and  he's  got  his  deserts;  though  I 
wouldn't  have  let  him  drown  if  I  could  have 
helped  it." 

At  that  instant  a  light  broke  upon  Edward 
Travilla  and  Dr.  Conley,'and  both'turned  hastily 
toward  their  guest,  Mr.  Ronald  Lilburn. 

He  was  sitting  near,  quietly  listening  to  the 
talk,  his  features  expressing  grave  concern,  yet 
they  could  perceive  a  sparkle  of  fun  in  his  eye. 

Edward  stepped  to  his  side,  and,  bending 
down  over  him,  spoke  in  an  undertone  close  to 
his  ear.  "I  think  you  could  tell  us  something 
of  the  man,  Cousin  Ronald." 

"I,  laddie?  What  would  I  ken  o'  the  folk  i' 
this  part  o'  the  world?"  queried  the  old  gentle 
man,  raising  his  eyebrows  in  mock  surprise. 

"Ah,  sir,  who  is  to  say  he  belonged  to  this 
part  of  the  world?"  laughed  Edward.  "I  must 
own  that  I  strongly  suspect  he  was  a  country 
man  of  yours;  a  Scotchman,  at  least." 

Then  going  to  the  side  of  his  wife  he  said  a 
word  or  two  in  an  undertone  that  chased  away 
her  tears,  while  she  sent  a  laughing  glance  in 
Cousin  Ronald's  direction. 

But  they  were  drawing  near  their  journey's 
end,  and  presently  everything  else  seemed  to  be 
forgotten  in  gazing  upon  the  ever  changing 
beauties  of  the  landscape  as  they  threaded  their 
way  through  lake  and  lakelet,  past  swamp,  for 
est,  plain,  and  plantation.  They  gazed  with  de- 


164  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

light  npon  the  cool,  shady  dells  carpeted  with  a 
rich  growth  of  flowers,  miles  upon  miles  of 
smoothly  shaven  lawns,  velvety  green  and 
shaded  by  magnificent  oaks  and  magnolias, 
lordly  villas  peering  through  groves  of  orange 
trees,  tall  white  sugarhouses,  and  the  long  rows 
of  cabins  of  the  laborers,  forming  all  together  a 
panorama  of  surpassing  loveliness. 

"Oh,  it  is  an  earthly  paradise,  is  it  not,  Ned?" 
cried  Zoe,  clasping  her  hands  in  an  ecstacy  of 
delight. 

"Very,  very  beautiful,"  he  responded,  his 
eyes  shining  with  pleasure.  "But  you  know 
this  is  not,  like  yours,  my  first  sight  of  it;  I 
spent  a  very  happy  winter  here  in  the  days 
when  my  dear  and  honored  father  was  with 
us." 

"And  I,"  said  his  sister  Elsie,  softly  sighing 
at  the  thought  that  that  loved  parent  had  left 
them  to  return  no  more.  "It  will  not  seem 
the  same  without  him;  yet  with  so  many  dear 
ones  left — especially  our  dear,  dear  mother — our 
visit  can  hardly  be  otherwise  than  most  enjoy 
able.  Ah,  Ned,  is  not  that  our  own  orange 
orchard  just  coming  into  view?" 

"It  is,  my  dear  sister;  we  will  be  there  in 
a  very  few  minutes  now." 

"At  home  and  with  mamma!"  she  ex 
claimed  in  joyous  tones;  then  called  to  her  little 
sons,  "Come  here,  Ned  and  Eric.  We  are  al- 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  165 

most  at  dear  grandmamma's  house,  and  she 
will  soon  have  you  in  her  arms." 

At  that  the  little  fellows  came  running  to 
her  with  a  joyous  shout,  for  they  dearly  loved 
their  Grandma  Elsie,  and  to  their  infant  minds 
the  time  of  separation  from  her  had  seemed 
very  long. 

To  their  Aunt  Adelaide,  the  Conleys — Arthur 
excepted — and  the  young  Dinsmores  the  scenes 
were  equally  new,  and  called  forth  from  one 
and  all  demonstrations  of  admiration  and  de 
light.  Very  soon  the  boat  reached  and  rounded 
to  at  the  landing,. where  were  gathered  all  the 
members  of  the  Viamede,  Magnolia  Hall,  and 
parsonage  families  to  meet  and  welcome  these 
dear  ones  from  their  own  old  homes  farther  to 
the  north. 

It  was  an  altogether  joyous  meeting,  Cousin 
Ronald  and  Virginia,  as  well  as  the  rest,  receiv 
ing  most  kind  and  cordial  greeting,  though  the 
latter  was  an  entirely  unexpected  guest. 

Isadore  took  her  sister  in  her  arms,  kissed 
and  wept  over  her  as  a  near  and  dear  one  who 
had  gone  through  great  trials  during  the  years 
of  their  separation. 

"What  a  long,  long  while  it  is  since  we 
parted,  and  what  sore  trials  you  have  gone 
through  in  the  meantime,  Virgie!"  she  sighed. 
"Ah,  I  hope  the  future  may  have  better  things  in 
store  for  you."  , 


166  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"I  should  say  it  ought  indeed,  considering  all 
I've  had  to  suffer  in  the  past,"  returned  Vir 
ginia.  "I've  come  to  beg  a  home  with  you,  Isa, 
as  you  might  have  had  to  of  me  if  I  had  been 
the  lucky  one  in  the  matter  of  drawing  a  prize 
in  the  matrimonial  lottery." 
'  "I  will  try  to  do  the  very  best  I  can  for  you, 
Virgie,"  was  Isadore's  pleasant  toned  reply, 
though  it  was  not  with  unmingled  satisfaction 
that  she  saw  opening  before  her  the  prospect  of 
receiving  this  selfish,  indolent  sister  into  her 
peaceful,  well  regulated  household  as  a  per 
manent  addition  to  it. 

Zoe  was  in  ecstasies  over  the  beauties  of  Via- 
mede — the  large,  palatial  mansion,  the  beauti 
ful  grounds,  the  lovely  scenery. 

"Oh,  mamma,"  she  exclaimed,  pausing  on  the 
veranda  to  take  a  general  survey,  "it  is  just  too 
lovely  for  anything !  It  really  exceeds  my  ex 
pectations,  though  they  were  raised  very  high 
by  all  I  have  heard  of  the  beauties  of  Viamede. 
I  wonder  you  can  ever  resign  yourself  to  leaving 
it  for  a  longer  time  than  the  hot  season,  when  it 
is  not  so  healthy  as  your  more  northern  home." 

"Yes,  I  sometimes  wonder  at  myself,"  Elsie 
said  with  a  smile;  "and  yet  both  Ion  and  the 
Oaks  are  very  dear  to  me — so  many  happy  years 
of  my  life  have  been  passed  in  them.  Ah,  no,  I 
could  not  give  up  those  dear  homes  entirely 
any  more  than  I  could  this." 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  167 

"Ah,  you  are  a  most  fortunate  woman,  cousin 
mine,"  remarked  Mr.  Lilburn,  standing  by, 
"and  worthy  of  it  all;  no  one  more  so." 

"Ah,  Cousin  Ronald,  you,  like  all  the  rest  of 
my  friends,  are  only  too  ready  to  pass  my  im 
perfections  by  and  see  only  virtues;  some  of 
them  altogether  imaginary,  I  fear,"  she  re 
turned  with  a  smile.  "I  cannot  tell  you  how 
glad  I  am  to  see  you  here  again,  and  I  hope  you 
may  so  greatly  enjoy  your  sojourn  among  us  that 
you  will  be  pleased  to  repeat  your  visit  when, 
ever  opportunity  offers." 

"Ah,  many  thanks,  cousin,  but  have  a  care 
lest  you  should  be  in  danger  of  seeing  me  here 
oftener  than  will  be  found  agreeable,"  was  his 
laughing  reply. 

At  that  Elsie  only  shook  her  head  with  a  play 
ful  smile,  then  turned  to  baby  Lilly,  who  was 
reaching  out  her  little  arms  to  grandma,  cry 
ing,  "Take!  take,  gamma!" 

"No,  no,  mother  dear,"  Edward  said,  coming 
up  to  them  and  taking  his  little  daughter  from 
the  nurse's  arms,  "I  can't  have  you  wearying 
yourself  with  her."  Then  to  the  child,  "Papa 
is  going  to  carry  you  [upstairs,  little  pet.  Dear 
grandma  has  been  sick  and  is  not  strong  enough 
to  carry  you  about.  The  friends  and  relatives 
will  all  be  here  for  some  time,  mother?"  turning 
to  her  again. 

"Yes,"  she  replied ;  "they  will  all  stay  to  tea." 


168  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"And  Zoe  and  I  will  join  you  and  them 
again  in  a  few  minutes,"  he  said,  moving  on 
through  the  hall,  in  the  direction  of  the  stairway. 

All  scattered  to  their  rooms  then,  but  reas 
sembled  on  the  veranda  some  few  minutes  be 
fore  the  call  to  the  tea-table.  It  was  a  large, 
merry,  informal  tea-party,  Grandma  Elsie  hav 
ing  been  most  hospitably  urgent  that  everyone 
should  stay,  partake  with  her  and  the  others 
who  had  been  making  Viamede  their  home  for 
months  past,  and  spend  the  evening. 

The  approaching  wedding  and  matters  con 
nected  with  it  were  naturally  the  principal 
themes  of  discourse,  and  Betty  was  good-hu- 
moredly  rallied  on  the  conquest  she  had  made  and 
the  pleasant  prospect  of  having  a  home  of  her 
own  with  at  least  one  loyal  subject.  Zoe  insisted 
on  a  description  of  the  trousseau,  especially  the 
wedding  dress. 

"Drive  over  to  Magnolia  Hall  day  after  to 
morrow  and  you  shall  see  everything  for  your 
self,  Zoe,"  Betty  said,  laughing  and  blushing; 
"at  least  all  but  the  gifts  which  have  not  yet 
come  in." 

"Thank  you;  I  think  I'll  accept  that  invita 
tion,"  returned  Zoe.  "But  I  suppose  there  is 
something  to  be  seen  here?" 

"Yes;  the  dresses  of  the  bridesmaids  and 
maids  of  honor,"  said  Rosie;  "and  we  who  are 
to  wear  them  think  them  quite  beautiful.  Don't 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  169 

we,  girls?"  turning  toward  Evelyn  and  Lulu, 
who  answered  with  an  emphatic,  "Yes,  in 
deed!" 

"Suppose  you  come  and  take  a  look  at  them, 
Zoe,"  proposed  Rosie,  as  they  left  the  table, 
and  Zoe  promptly  accepted  the  invitation, 
Betty,  Elsie  Leland,  Ella,  and  Virginia,  and 
the  Dinsmore  cousins  going  along. 

"Oh,  they  are  lovely!"  was  the  united  excla 
mation  at  sight  of  the  dresses,  Zoe  adding,  "I 
can't  say  which  is  handsomest." 

"That's  just  how  it  is  with  me,"  laughed 
Betty;  "but  I  own  to  thinking  the  bride's  dress 
a  trifle  handsomer  than  any  of  these." 

"Ah,  yes;  but  just  think  how  we  may  out 
shine  you  when  our  turns  come  to  wear  a  wed 
ding  dress,"  saic1  rlosie.  "I  mean  to  have  one 
that  shall  be  a  inarvel  of  beauty  and  taste. 
Don't  you,  Eva  and  Lu?" 

"I  very  much  doubt  whether  I  shall  ever 
have  any,"  replied  Evelyn,  with  her  grave, 
sweet  smile. 

"If  you  don't  it  will  be  your  own  fault,  I  am 
sure,"  said  Rosie.  "And  it  will  be  just  the 
same  with  Lu." 

"I'm  not  going  to  get  married  ever!"  cried 
Lulu  emphatically.  "I  wouldn't  leave  my 
father  for  ail  the  rest  of  the  men  in  all  the 
world." 

"Ah,  your  father  is  glad  to  hear  it,"  said  a 


170  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

voice  close  at  her  side,  while  a  hand  was  laid 
affectionately  on  her  shoulder.  "But  nay  dear 
eldest  daughter  is  still  quite  too  young  to  be 
even  thinking  of  such  things." 

"Then  I  won't  think  of  them  if  I  can  help  it, 
papa  dear,"  she  said,  lifting  loving,  smiling  eyes 
to  his  face,  "for  indeed  I  do  want  to  obey  even 
your  slightest  wish." 

"I  don't  doubt  it,  daughter,"  he  returned, 
pressing  affectionately  the  hand  she  had  slipped 
into  his. 

"Now,  Elsie,"  said  Zoe,  addressing  Mrs.  Le- 
land,  "let  us  show  our  wedding  finery.  You, 
Ella  Conley,  I  suppose  won't  care  to  open  your 
trunks,  as  they  are  to  be  carried  over  to  the 
Parsonage." 

"They  have  already  gone,'"1  said  Isadore,  she 
also  having  joined  the  party  of  inspection, 
"but  the  finery  can  be  shown  there  just  as 
well." 

"Yes,  it  can  wait,"  returned  Ella,  "and  will 
perhaps  be  all  the  more  appreciated  for  not  be 
ing  seen  along  with  so  many  other  beauties." 

"I  am  the  only  one  who  has  no  finery  to  ex 
hibit,"  remarked  Virginia  i»  an  ill  used  tone. 
But  they  were  already  on  the  way  to  Mrs.  Le- 
land's  room  and  no  one  seemed  to  hear  or  heed 
the  complaint,  everybody  being  too  much 
engrossed  with  the  business  in  hand  to  take 
notice  of  her  ill-humor. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAXEDE.  171 

But  it  was  Saturday  evening  and  the  Parson 
age  and  Magnolia  Hall  people  returned  to  their 
homes  at  an  early  hour,  taking  their  guests  with 
them. 

"Now,  daughter,"  Captain  Raymond  said, 
turning  to  Lulu  as  the  last  carriage  disappeared 
from  sight,  "go  at  once  to  your  own  room  and 
prepare  for  bed." 

"Yes,  sir;  and  must  I  say  good-night  now 
to  you?"  she  asked  in  a  low  tone,  close  at  his 
ear. 

"No,"  he  returned,  with  a  smile,  "I  will  be 
with  you  presently  for  a  few  minutes." 

She  looked  her  thanks,  and  hastened  to  obey. 

"I  am  quite  ready  for  bed,  papa,"  she  said 
when  he  came  into  her  room.  "Please  mayn't 
I  sit  on  your  knee  for  five  or  ten  minutes?" 

"That  is  just  what  I  want  you  to  do,"  he 
said,  taking  possession  of  an  easy  chair  and 
drawing  her  to  the  coveted  place.  "I  must  have 
a  little  talk  with  my  dear  eldest  daughter,"  he 
continued,  smoothing  her  hair  and  cheek  caress 
ingly. 

"What  about,  papa  dear?"  she  asked,  nest 
ling  closer  in  his  arms.  "I  haven't  been  misbe 
having,  have  I?  You  are  not  displeased  with 
me,  are  you?" 

"No,  dear  child;  only  afraid  that  you  may 
be  caring  too  much  about  dress  and  finery,  and 
that  perhaps  I  am  not  altogether  blameless  in  re- 


172  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

gard  to  that — that  I  may  not  have  guarded  my 
dear  little  girl  against  it  as  I  should." 

"I  am  afraid  that  perhaps  I  do  care  too  much 
about  it,  papa  dear,"  she  sighed,  hanging  her 
head,  while  blushes  "lyed  her  cheek;  "but  I'm 
sure  it  is  all  my  own  fault,  not  yours  at  all;  so 
please  don't  feel  badly  about  it." 

He  took  up  her  Bible,  opened  it,  and  read, 
"Whose  adorning,  let  it  not  be  that  outward 
adorning  of  plaiting  the  hair,  and  of  wearing 
of  gold,  or  of  putting  on  of  apparel ;  but  let  it 
be  the  hidden  man  of  the  heart,  in  that  which  is 
not  corruptible,  even  the  ornament  of  a  meek  and 
quiet  spirit,  which  is  in  the  sight  of  God  of 
great  price.  For  after  this  manner  in  the  old 
time  the  holy  women  also,  who  trusted  in  God, 
adorned  themselves." 

"Papa,  is  it  wrong  to  wear  nice,  pretty 
clothes,  and  to  enjoy  having  them?"  she  asked, 
as  he  closed  the  book  and  laid  it  aside.  "Is 
that  what  is  meant  in  those  verses?" 

"I  think  not,"  he  said;  "if  I  understood  it  in 
that  way  I  should  feel  it  wrong  to  allow  a  daugh 
ter  of  mine  to  wear  them.  I  think  it  means 
that  you  are  not  to  care  too  much  about  such 
adornment,  but  more,  much  more,  for  that  other 
and  greater  adornment,  even  the  hidden  man  of 
the  heart,  the  ornament  of  a  meek  and  quiet 
spirit,  remembering  that  in  the  sight  of  God  it 
is  of  great  price,  worth  infinitely  more  than 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  1Y3 

any  ornament  of  gold,  the  richest  jewels,  or  the 
finest  attire.  Cultivate  that  with  all  dili 
gence,  my  own  darling  child,  if  you  desire  to 
please  and  honor  your  heavenly  Father  and  make 
yourself  even  dearer  than  you  now  are  to  your 
earthly  one,  and  lovelier  in  his  eyes." 

"Oh,  I  do,  papa !  I  do  want  to  please  and  honor 
God,  and  you  too;  I  want  to  be  just  a  joy  and 
blessing  and  comfort  to  you,  my  own  dear, 
dear  father!  I  don't  think  you  have  any  idea 
how  very,  very  dearly  I  love  you,  papa,"  put 
ting  her  arms  about  his  neck  and  kissing  him 
over  and  over  again.  "Gracie  and  I  think — 
indeed  we  feel  quite  sure — that  no  other  children 
ever  had  such  a  dear,  good,  kind  father  as  ours. 
And  I  know  Max  thinks  the  same." 

"Well,  daughter,  I  delight  in  having  you  and 
all  my  children  think  so,  however  mistaken  you 
maybe,"  he  said,  with  a  pleased  smile,  holding 
her  close  and  returning  her  caresses;  "and  it 
certainly  is  the  earnest  desire  of  my  heart  to  be 
the  best,  kindest,  and  dearest  of  fathers  to  the 
darling  children  God  has  given  me." 

"As  I  am  sure  you  are,  dear  papa,"  she  said. 
*'I  never  have  any  doubt  of  it  at  all,  even  when 
you  punish  me.  And,  papa,"  she  added,  with 
an  effort,  "if  you  think  finery  bad  for  me,  I  am 
willing  to  be  dressed  just  as  plainly  as  you 
think  best." 

"That  is  my  own   dear  little  girl,"  he  re- 


174  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

turned,  with  a  gratified  look;  "but  I  have  not 
been  dressing  you  better— more  richly,  gayly,  or 
tastefully— than  seems  to  me  right  and  proper; 
also,  I  think  quite  as  much  sin  may  be  committed 
by  being  proud  of  plainness  in  dress  as  proud  of 
wearing  finery.  What  I  am  aiming  at  is  to 
have  my  little  daughter  look  upon  dress  as  a  sec 
ondary  matter,  and  feel  far  more  anxious  to  be 
one  who  is  pleasing  in  the  sight  of  her  heavenly 
Father  than  one  admired  and  envied  by  some 
earthly  creature  as  the  possessor  of  wealth,  and 
fine  or  costly  raiment.  In  short,  I  want  you  to 
feel  that  the  style  and  richness  of  your  attire  is 
a  matter  of  little  consequence,  while  to  live  in 
the  light  of  God's  countenance,  pleasing  and 
honoring  him  and  growing  in  holiness  and  con 
formity  to  his  will,  is  to  be  desired  and  striven 
for  beyond  everything  else." 

"Yes,  papa,"  she  said  softly,  "I  will  ask  God 
to  help  me  to  do  so;  and  you  will  pray  for  me 
too,  won't  you?" 

"Indeed  I  will,  my  darling;  we  will  kneel 
down  and  ask  him  now;  ask  for  help  to  keep  from 
indulging  in  worldly  mindedness  and  vanity, 
and  that  our  earnest  desire  and  effort  may  ever 
be  to  serve  and  honor  and  glorify  him  in  all  our 
words  and  ways." 

"My  own  dear  father,"  she  said,  when  they 
had  risen  from  their  knees,  "I  am  sure  that  if 
J  don't  grow  up  a  good  Christian  the  fault  will 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  175 

not  be  yours."  Then,  glancing  at  the  bed 
where  Grace  lay  in  a  profound  sleep,  "I  am  so 
glad  and  thankful  that  I  am  not  feeble  like  poor, 
dear  Gracie,  because  if  I  had  to  go  to  bed  and 
to  sleep  so  early  as  she  almost  always  does,  I'd 
miss  these  nice  talks  from  you.  But,  fortunately, 
she  doesn't  need  so  much  help  to  be  good  as  I  do, 
Ah,  papa,  I've  given  you  a  great  deal  more 
trouble  to  train  me  up  right  than  she  ever  has, 
or  will." 

"My  darling,"  he  said,  "if  you  only  grow  up 
to  be  a  noble,  useful  Christian  woman,  such  as 
I  hope  one  day  to  see  you,  I  shall  feel  more  than 
repaid  for  all  the  anxiety,  care,  and  trouble  of 
your  training." 


CHAPTER  X. 

"  GUESTS  and  entertainers,  old  and  young,  went 
to  church  the  next  morning,  riding,  driving,  or 
walking,  as  best  suited  the  inclination  of  each. 
In  the  afternoon  there  was  the  usual  gather 
ing  of  the  house  servants  and  field  hands  on  the 
lawn,  near  the  veranda,  where  the  family  and 
guests  were  seated,  and  Mr.  Dinsmore,  Dr. 
Landreth,  and  Captain  Raymond  each  gave  them 
a  little  talk  suited  to  their  capacities,  and  the 
sacredness  of  the  day,  and  their  needs  as  members 
of  the  fallen  race  of  man. 

The  captain,  standing  before  them  with  an 
open  Bible  in  his  hand,  said,  "My  friends,  I 
want  to  talk  with  you  a  little,  about  some  of  the 
words  spoken  by  the  Apostle  Paul  when  he  was 
taking  leave  of  the  elders  of  the  Church  at 
Ephesus.  He  told  them  that  he  had  been  testi 
fying  both  to  the  Jews,  and  also  to  the  Greeks, 
repentance  toward  God  and  faith  toward  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Now,  what  is  meant  by  re 
pentance  toward  God?  It  is  a  feeling  of  true 
sorrow  for  our  sins  against  him  (and  everything 
wrong  we  have  done,  or  thought,  or  felt  was  a 
ein  against  God).  And  what  is  it  to  have  faith, 

176 


EL8IE  AT  VIAMEDE.  Ill 

toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ?  To  believe  in 
him  as  one  abundantly  able  and  willing  to  save 
us — to  save  us  from  sin,  from  the  love  of  it, 
and  the  punishment  due  to  us  for  it.  We  are 
all  sinners ;  we  have  all  come  short  oj  the  glory 
of  God,  neglecting  many  things  thai  we  ought 
to  have  done,  and  doing  very  many  tl  ings  that 
we  ought  not  to  have  done.  We  are  all  born 
with  a  sinful  nature,  and  God  only  can  change 
it,  so^that  we  will  hate  sin  and  love  holiness ;  he 
only  can  give  us  tru  faith  in  his  dear  Son  the 
Lord  Christ. 

"  'By  grace  are  ye  saved  through  faith;  and 
that  not  of  yourselve?  •  it  is  the  gift  of  God.' 
We  are  saved  by  grace;  it  is  only  of  God's 
undeserved  goodness,  not  because  we  have  done 
or  can  do  anything  pleasing  in  his  sight.  Paul 
speaks  in  this  same  chapter  of  the  Gospel  of  the 
grace  of  God.  Gospel  means  good  news,  and 
what  could  be  better  news  than  that?  that  God 
offers  us  salvation  of  his  free,  unmerited  grace? 
What  an  offer  that  is!  salvation  as  his  free,  un 
deserved  gift, without  money,  and  without  price. 
His  offer  is,  'Come  unto  me  and  be  ye  saved  all 
ye  ends  of  the  earth. '  No  one  is  left  out ;  this 
wonderful  offer  is  to  each  one  of  us,  and  to  every 
other  inhabitant  of  this  world,  so  that  if  any 
one  fails  to  be  saved,  the  fault  will  be  all  his 
own.  For  God  has  said,  'I  have  no  pleasure  in 
the  death  of  him  that  dieth:  wherefore  turn 


178  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

yourselves  and  live  ye.'  And  oh,  how  plain  he 
has  made  it  that  he  does  love  us  and  would 
have  us  live !  'For  God  so  loved  the  world  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever 
believeth  -a  him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlastin  life. ' " 

The  ser  dee  was  not  a  long  one,  and  when  it 
was  over  the  captain  repaired  to  the  school 
room  with  Lulu  and  Grace  to  hear  them  recite 
their  Bible  verses  and  catechism. 

When  that  duty  had  beer  attended  to,  "Now, 
daughters,"  he  said,  "if  you  have  anything 
to  say,  or  questions  suita  le  to  the  sacredness 
of  the  day  to  ask,  I  am  r  ady  to  listen  and  re 
ply  to  the  best  of  my  ability ;  but  even  a  child 
may  ask  a  question  that  a  grown  person  cannot 
answer,"  he  added  with  a  smile. 

"Indeed,  papa,"  said  Grace,  putting  an  arm 
round  his  neck  and  laying  her  cheek  lovingly  to 
his,  "I  think  you  do  know  'most  everything; 
and  I'm  oh !  so  glad  God  gave  you  to  me  for 
my  own  father." 

"I  know  you  are,  Grac;.e,  I'm  sure  of  it;  but 
you  can't  be  gladder  than  I  am  that  he  is  my 
father,  too,"  said  Lulu,  lifting  to  his  eyes  full  of 
filial  love  and  reverence. 

"Nor  than  I  am  that  these  two  little  girls  are 
my  very  own,"  responded  the  captain,  holding 
both  in  a  close  embrace.  "But  no\v  for  the 
questions." 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"I  have  one  to  ask,  papa,"  said  Lulu.  "It  is, 
what  does  the  Bible  mean  by  growing  in  grace?'* 

"  Growing  in  likeness  to  Jesus  and  in  conform 
ity  to  his  will;  having  more  and  more  of  the 
love  and  fear  of  God  in  our  hearts ;  more  faith 
and  patience,  and  more  love  to  our  fellow-crea 
tures  ;  for  the  more  we  love  the  Master,  the  more 
will  we  love  those  whom  he  died  to  redeem." 

"And  the  more  we  love  him,  the  more  we  will 
try  to  be  like  him?"  Lulu  said  in  a  tone  of  min 
gled  assertion  and  inquiry. 

"Yes,  my  child;  and  it  is  the  dearest  wish  of 
my  heart  that  I  may  see  my  children  thus  grow 
ing  in  grace,  and  in  likeness  to  the  dear  Mas 
ter." 

"Papa,  I  want  to,"  said  Grace  softly;  "oh, I 
want  to,  very  much !" 

"Then  ask  God  to  help  you,  my  darling,  re 
membering  that  he  is  the  hearer  and  answerer 
of  prayer." 

"  And  you  will  ask  him  for  both  of  us,  won't 
you,  papa?" 

"I  will,  I  do,  my  darling;  there  is  never  a 
day  when  I  do  not  pray  earnestly  for  each  one 
of  my  dear  children,  that  God  will  make  them 
his  own  true  followers  and  keep  them  in  every 
time  of  trial  and  temptation,  taking  them  safely 
to  heaven  at  last.  Life  in  this  world  is  exceed 
ingly  short  compared  with  the  eternal  existence 
which  awaits  us  all  in  another — that  life  of  in.' 


180  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

finite  joy  and  blessedness  at  God's  right  hand, 
or  of  everlasting,  untold  misery,  unending,  in 
conceivable  anguish,  in  the  blackness  of  dark 
ness,  shut  out  forever  from  his  presence,"  he 
added  in  moved  tones.  "God  in  his  infinite 
goodness  and  mercy  grant  that  the  first  and  not 
the  last  may  be  the  portion  of  each  one  of  my 
beloved  children !" 

"Oh,  papa,"  said  Grace  softly,  "how can  any 
one  help  loving  the  dear  Saviour  who  died  that 
we  might  go  to  heaven  and  not  to  that  other 
awful  place !" 

"Oh,"  said  Lulu,  "I  do  want  to  love  him 
more  and  serve  him  better!  When  I  think  of 
his  wonderful  goodness  and  love  to  us  poor 
sinners,  I'm  just  as  ashamed  as  I  can  be  that  I 
don't  love  him  at  all  as  I  ought,  and  am  so  often 
ill-tempered  and  selfish  and  bad.  Papa,  I  do 
really  think  it  is  kind  and  good  in  you  to  pun 
ish  me  when  I  deserve  it,  and  need  it  to  make 
me  a  better  girl. " 

"And  I  shall  be  very  glad  indeed  if  you  never 
again  make  it  necessaiy  for  me  to  do  so,"  he 
responded. 

"I  do  hope  I  won't,"  she  returned.  "Papa, 
I'm  very  much  afraid  I'll  be  thinking  and  talk 
ing  to-day  about  the  wedding  and  what  every 
body  is  going  to  wear  at  it,  and  I  know  I  won't 
be  in  half  so  much  danger  of  doing  so  if  I  keep 
close  to  you;  so  mayn't  I?" 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  181 

"Yes,  daughter;  I  am  always  glad  to  have 
you  near  me,"  he  said  kindly;  "and  it  pleases 
me  that  you  are  desirous  to  avoid  temptation  to 
do  wrong." 

"  And  you  are  just  as  willing  to  let  me  keep 
near  you,  papa?"  Grace  said  inquiringly,  and 
with  a  wistful,  pleading  look  up  into  his  face. 

"  Certainly,  my  dear  little  daughter.  I  love 
you  not  a  whit  less  than  I  do  your  sister,"  he 
said,  drawing  her  into  a  closer  embrace.  "  How 
ever,  you  may  both  stay  here  reading  your  Bi 
bles  and  Sunday  school  books  for  a  half  hour 
longer.  Then  I  will  come  for  you  and  you  may 
spend  the  rest  of  the  day  as  close  to  your  father's 
side  as  you  choose."  With  that  he  left  them. 

"  Such  a  dear,  good  father  as  ours  is !"  ex 
claimed  Lulu,  gazing  after  him  with  loving,  ad 
miring  eyes. 

"Yes,  indeed!  I  am  sure  there  couldn't  be  a 
better  or  dearer  one.  Oh,  I  do  love  him  so !" 
said  Grace,  turning  over  the  leaves  of  her  Bible. 
"Let's  read  verse  about,  Lu." 

"I'm  agreed;  and  let  it  be  the  Book  of 
Esther.  I  do  think  that  is  such  a  lovely  story." 

"So  it  is;  and  so  is  Ruth,  and  that's  shorter. 
I  don't  believe  we'll  have  time  to  read  all  of 
Esther  before  papa  comes  for  us." 

"Maybe  not,"  assented  Lulu;  "so  we  will 
read  Ruth." 

They  had  finished  the  story  and  were  talking 


182  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

it  over  together  when  their  father  came.  It 
"was  then  nearly  tea  time. 

Sacred  music  filled  up  most  of  the  evening, 
and  all  the  young  girls  and  boys  retired  early  to 
bed  that  they  might  be  ready  for  the  pleasures 
and  employments  of  the  coming  day.  The  older 
people  sat  somewhat  longer  upon  the  veranda, 
conversing  upon  topics  suited  to  the  sacredness 
of  the  day.  They  were  Christians,  and  loved  to 
speak  of  the  Master  and  the  things  concerning 
his  kingdom. 

"Then  they  that  feared  the  Lord  spake  often 
one  to  another:  and  the  Lord  hearkened  and 
heard  it,  and  a  book  of  remembrance  was  written 
before  him  for  them  that  feared  the  Lord  and 
that  thought  upon  his  name.  And  they  shall  be 
mine,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  in  that  day  when 
I  make  up  my  jewels;  and  I  will  spare  them  as 
a  man  spareth  his  own  son  that  serveth  him." 

As  usual,  Lulu  was  up  early  the  next  morning, 
and  joined  her  father  in  a  walk  under  the  trees 
along  the  bank  of  the  bayou. 

"  Well,  daughter,  has  the  rest  of  the  Sabbath 
made  you  ready  for  work  in  the  school-room 
again?"  he  asked,  smiling  down  affectionately 
into  her  face,  rosy,  bright, and  happy  with  health 
and  gay  spirits. 

"Yes,  papa,  I  feel  more  like  it  than  I  did  on 
Saturday,"  she  answered,  lifting  to  his  spark 
ling  eyes,  full  of  affection. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAXEDE.  183 

"I  rejoice  to  hear  it,"  he  said;  "for  it  is  by 
no  means  a  pleasant  task  to  me  when  I  have  to 
compel  a  pupil — whether  one  of  my  own  chil- 
ren  or  the  child  of  someone  else — against  his 
or  her  inclination;  though  I  enjoy  teaching 
when  all  are  happy  and  interested." 

"  As  we  all  ought  to  be  when  we  have  such  a 
good,  kind,  wise  teacher,  dear  papa,"  she  re 
turned.  "It  will  be  difficult,  very  difficult,  I'm 
afraid,  to  give  my  mind  to  lessons  when  we  are 
all  so  much  taken  up  with  the  preparations  for  the 
wedding,  but  I'm  determined  to  try  my  very 
best  to  do  so  to  please  my  dearest,  kindest, 
best  of  fathers,"  lifting  his  hand  to  her 
lips. 

"A  father  who  would  far  rather  be  obeyed 
from  love  than  fear,"  he  said,  with  a  tender, 
loving  look  down  into  her  face. 

"  Yes,  I  know  you  would,  papa,  and  my  love 
for  you  is,  oh !  ever  so  much  stronger  than  my 
fear;  though  I  own  I  am  afraid  of  your  displeas 
ure  and  punishments,  for  I  know  you  can 
punish  severely  when  you  think  it  your  duty 
and  for  my  good ;  but  I  respect  and  love  you 
too  a  great  deal  more  than  I  would  or  could  if 
you  indulged  me  in  bad  behavior." 

"I  don't  doubt  it,"  he  said;  "and  I,  as  I  have 
often  told  you,  punish  you  when  I  deem  it 
Heedful,  because  I  know  you  will  be  the  happier 
in  the  end  for  being  compelled  to  try  to  con- 


184  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

quer  your  faults ;  happier  than  you  ever  could  be 
if  allowed  to  indulge  them." 

"Yes,  papa,  I  know  that  is  so;  I  am  never 
at  all  happy  when  indulging  wrong  tempers  and 
feelings,"  she  acknowledged,  with  another  lov 
ing  look  up  into  his  face. 

At  that  moment  they  were  joined  by  Evelyn 
and  Rosie. 

" Brother  Le vis,"  said  Rosie,  "you  surely  are 
not  going  to  be  so  unreasonable  and  tyrannical 
as  to  require  lessons  of  us  to-day?" 

"I'm  afraid  I  am,  little  sister,"  he  replied, 
with  a  smile,  "and  I  hope  you  are  not  going  to 
be  so  naughty  and  rebellious  as  to  require  any 
kind  of  discipline?" 

"I  don't  know,"  she  said,  with  a  pretended 
pout;  "I  feel  no  inclination  at  all  toward  les 
sons,  but  a  very  strong  one  in  favor  of  a  ride 
or  drive  over  to  Magnolia  Hall." 

"  Which  can  be  gratified  when  study  and  rec 
itations  have  been  duly  attended  to,"  returned 
the  captain ;  "  and  if  in  need  of  an  escort  you 
may  call  upon  me  for  that  service." 

"Oh,  a  thousand  thanks!  that  will  do  very 
•well  indeed!"  she  exclaimed  in  a  tone  of  re 
lief  and  pleasure. 

"And  all  the  good  and  industrious  little  girls 
may  go  along,"  added  the  captain,  with  a  smil 
ing  look  into  Lulu's  eagerly  inquiring  face. 

"Thank  you,  papa;  thank  you  very  much!'* 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  185 

she  exclaimed  joyously.  "I  do  want  to  go,  and 
intend  to  be  as  industrious  as  possible,  and  as 
good  and  obedient,  so  that  you  can  take  me. 
And  you'll  take  Gracie  too  if  she  wants  to  go, 
won't  you?" 

"Certainly,"  he  said;  "Gracie  deserves  all 
the  indulgences  and  pleasures  I  can  give  her.'* 

"You  are  very  kind  indeed,  Captain,  to  spend 
so  much  of  your  time  in  teaching  us  to-day;  for 
I  feel  very  sure  you  would  enjoy  going  to  Mag 
nolia  Hall  with  the  other  gentlemen  and  the 
ladies  this  morning,"  remarked  Evelyn,  with  a 
grateful,  affectionate  look  up  into  his  face. 

"  Thank  you,  my  dear,"  he  replied.  "  It  would 
"be  pleasant  to  me  to  go,  but  it  is  also  a  pleasure 
to  help  my  own  children,  and  other  appreciative 
pupils,  to  climb  the  hill  of  science." 

Just  then  Grace  and  little  Elsie  came  run 
ning  to  meet  them,  and  the  next  minute  the 
breakfast  bell  summoned  them  all  to  the  house. 

After  breakfast  followed  family  worship, 
school,  play -time,  then  dinner,  and,  late  in  the 
afternoon,  the  pleasant  drive  through  the  woods 
to  Magnolia  Hall.  It  was  only  for  a  call,  how 
ever,  and  at  tea-time  the  Viamede  family  and 
all  their  guests  gathered  about  the  table  there. 

From  then  until  the  wedding  day  the  young 
folks  were  in  a  state  of  pleasurable  excitement, 
though  the  captain  kept  his  pupils  steadily  at 
their  work,  and  they  found  it  not  impossible  to 


186  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

fix  their  minds  upon  their  studies  for  a  por 
tion  of  each  day.  The  other  relatives  invited 
had  arrived,  and  in  a  few  days  the  marriage 
•was  to  take  place. 

It  was  Saturday  morning.  Scarcely  two  hours 
had  been  spent  in  the  school-room  when  the  cap 
tain  dismissed  his  pupils,  telling  them,  with  his 
pleasant  smile,  that  they  had  done  very  well  in 
deed,  and  would  be  allowed  a  holiday  until  the 
wedding  festivities  were  over,  an  announce 
ment  no  one  was  sorry  to  hear,  although  he  had 
made  the  lessons  interesting  and  enjoyable  to 
them  as  ever  since  undertaking  the  work  of 
teaching  them.  All  returned  warm  thanks,  and 
Rosie,  Evelyn,  and  Walter  hastened  from  the 
room,  which  Captain  Raymond  had  already  left ; 
but  his  two  little  girls  lingered  there  a  while 
longer,  putting  their  desks  in  perfect  order. 

"Gracie,"  said  Lulu,  "how  much  money  have 
you  left?" 

"Not  a  single  cent,"  was  the  reply  in  a  rather 
rueful  tone;  "and  I  suppose  yours  is  all  gone 
too?" 

"Yes;  every  cent  of  it.  I  feel  as  poor  as  a- 
church  mouse." 

"  But  we  are  not  wanting  to  buy  anything 
just  now,  and  papa  will  be  giving  us  some 
pocket-money  again  pretty  soon,"  returned 
Grace  in  a  determinedly  cheerful  tone. 

"  Yes,  so  he  will !     Oh,  what  a  dear,  good, 


ELSIE  A  T  VIAMEDE.  1 8  7 

kind  father  he  is !  I  really  don't  believe  there 
are  very  many  girls  of  our  ages  that  get  so 
much  pocket-money  every  week.  And  papa 
gave  us  so  much  extra  money  too,  to  use  in 
buying  our  gifts  for  Cousin  Betty." 

"  Oh,  yes,  and  now  I  think  of  it,  I  don't  be 
lieve  we  ought  to  expect  any  more  pocket- 
money  for  a  good  while.  Do  you,  Lu  ?" 

"No,  I  don't;  for  this  wedding's  costing  a 
good  deal — to  papa  as  well  as  other  folks ;  and 
the  journey  home  will  cost  ever  so  much,  besides 
all  that  papa  paid  to  bring  us  here.  Then,  too, 
he's  going  to  see  Max  again  after  we  get  home, 
and  will  maybe  take  one  or  both  of  us  along — if 
we're  good.'* 

"Oh,  do  you  think  so?"  exclaimed  Grace. 
"Oh,  I'd  love  to  see  Maxie!  but  if  only  one  of 
us  can  go  it  ought  to  be  you,  because  you're 
the  oldest,  and  so  well  that  it  wouldn't  give 
papa  half  so  much  trouble  to  take  care  of  you 
as  of  me." 

"I'm  just  sure  papa  doesn't  think  it  any 
trouble  to  take  care  of  you,  Gracie,"  returned 
Lulu  in  her  quick,  earnest  way.  "And  you 
are  a  better  girl  than  I,  therefore  more  deserv 
ing  of  such  indulgences." 

"That's  a  mistake  of  yours,  Lu,"  said  Grace; 
"you've  been  good  as  gold  ever  since  we  came 
to  Viamede — as  well  as  before — and  helped  papa 
with  your  typewriter,  while  I  haven't  done 


188  ELBDn  AT  VIAMEDE. 

anything  but  wait  on  him  a  little,  and  try  to 
learn  my  lessons  well,  and  amuse  the  little  ones 
sometimes." 

Lulu's  face  had  grown  very  red  while  Grace 
was  speaking,  and  she  hung  her  head  in  a  shame 
faced,  remorseful  way. 

"No,  Gracie,"  she  said  in  alow,  mortified 
tone,  "I  haven't  been  half  so  good  as  you  think; 
I  displeased  papa  very  much  that  day  when  you 
all  went  to  Magnolia  Hall,  and  I  had  to  stay  at 
home  and  learn  my  lessons  over.  I  was  very 
angry  and  cross  with  dear  little  Ned  because 
he  meddled  with  my  herbarium,  which  I  had 
carelessly  left  lying  out  on  my  desk.  If  papa 
had  punished  me  very  severely  it  would  have 
been  no  more  than  I  deserved,  but  all  he  did 
was  to  send  me  to  my  room  for  a  while  till  I 
told  him  how  sorry  I  was  and  asked  forgiveness 
of  him,  and  Neddie,  too." 

Grace  looked  surprised.  "No,  I  never  heard 
a  word  of  it  before,"  she  said;  "but  I'm  sure 
you  did  all  you  could  when  you  asked 
forgiveness  of  both  of  them — papa  and 
Keddie." 

The  little  girls  had  no  idea  that  their  father 
was  within  hearing,  yet  such  was  the  case,  and 
their  little  talk  pleased  him  greatly. 

"The  darlings!"  he  said  to  himself,  "they 
shall  not  be  long  penniless,  for  their  father  thinks 
them  very  worthy  to  be  trusted  with  pocket- 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  189 

money.  Two  more  unselfish  children  I  am 
sure  it  would  be  hard  to  find." 

With  that  he  rose  and  went  to  the  library,  to 
which  they  presently  followed  him,  asking 
if  there  were  anything  he  wanted  them  to 
do. 

"  Why,  it  is  your  play-time,  daughters,"  he 
returned,  with  a  loving  smile  into  the  bright 
young  faces. 

"  But  we'd  like  to  do  something  to  help  you, 
dear  papa,"  Grace  said,  laying  her  small,  white 
hand  on  his  arm,  and  looking  lovingly  up  into 
his  face. 

"Yes,  indeed  we  would,  papa,"  said  Lulu, 
standing  on  his  other  side,  and  putting  her  arm 
round  his  neck.  "  Please,  if  you  have  letters 
to  answer,  mayn't  I  write  them  for  you  on  my 
typewriter?" 

"  Does  my  dear  eldest  daughter  deem  that  a 
privilege?"  he  asked,  smiling  down  into  her  be 
seeching  eyes,  while  he  put  one  arm  round  her, 
the  other  about  Grace's  waist,  and  drew  both  in 
between  his  knees,  kissing  first  one  and  then  the 
other. 

"Indeed  I  do,  papa,"  Lulu  answered  in  an 
earnest  tone;  "  it's  very  sweet  to  me  to  feel  that 
I  am  of  even  a  little  use  to  my  dear,  dear  father, 
who  does  so  much  for  me,  taking  so  much  trou 
ble  to  teach  me,  and  gives  me  so  many,  many 
nice  things  to  eat,  to  wear,  to  read,^and  to  amuse 


190  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

myself  with — so  many  that  it  would  take  quite 
a  long  while  to  count  them  all  up." 

"Ah,  that  reminds  me,"  he  said,  taking  out 
his  pocket-book,  "  I  shouldn't  wonder  if  my  little 
girls  had  about  emptied  their  purses  in  buying 
gifts  for  the  bride  that  is  to  be,  and  so  forth. 
Get  them  out  and  let  me  see  what  can  be  done 
toward  replenishing  them." 

He  noted  with  pleasure  that  as  he  spoke  each 
young  face  grew  very  bright. 

"We've  left  them  upstairs,  papa,"  said  Lulu, 
"and  though  you're  ever  so  kind,"  hugging  and 
kissing  him  again, "we  don't  want  to  take  any 
more  now  when  you  have  to  spend  so  very 
much  on  the  wedding,  and  to  take  us  all  home 
to  Woodburn." 

"No,  indeed  we  don't,  you  dear,  dear  papa,'* 
chimed  in  Grace,  nestling  closer  to  him  and  pat 
ting  his  cheek  lovingly. 

"My  precious  darlings!"  he  said,  holding 
them  close,  "your  father  can  spare  it  without 
denying  himself  or  anybody  else  anything  at  all 
needful;  and  he  feels  very  sure  that  he  could 
not  get  more  enjoyment  out  of  it  in  any  other 
way.  So  get  your  purses  and  bring  them  here 
to  me,"  he  concluded,  releasing  them  from  his 
embrace. 

They  ran  joyfully  to  do  his  bidding,  and  on 
their  return  each  found  a  little  pile  of  money 
waiting  for  her — two  clean,  fresh  one  dollar 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  191 

bills,  two  silver  half  dollars,  four  quarters,  and 
ten  dimes;  all  looking  as  if  just  issued  from 
the  mint. 

"Oh!  oh!  oh!"  they  cried,  "how  much!  and 
all  so  bright  and  new!"  Lulu  adding,  "Papa, 
are  you  quite,  quite  sure  you  can  really  spare  all 
this  without  being — embarrassed?" 

"Yes,  quite  sure,"  he  returned,  regarding 
her  with  a  twinkle  of  fun  in  his  eyes ;  "  I  really 
think  I  should  not  be  greatly  embarrassed  if 
called  upon  for  twice  as  much." 

At  that  Lulu  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief, 
while  Grace  threw  her  arms  about  his  neck,  say 
ing,  "  You  dear,  dear  papa !  I  don't  believe  any 
other  children  ever  had  such  a  good,  kind  father 
as  ours." 

""Well,  now,  I  really  hope  there  are  a  great 
many  other  fathers  quite  as  good  and  kind  as 
yours,"  he  said,  with  a  smile,  pinching  the 
round,  rosy  cheek,  kissing  the  ruby  lips,  and 
fondly  stroking  the  soft,  shining  curls  of  her 
pretty  head. 

"I  hope  so,"  said  Lulu,  "but  I'm  just  sure 
there's  not  another  one  I  could  love  so,  so 
dearly  as  ours.  I  do  think  God  was  very  good 
to  me  in  making  me  yours,  papa.  Your  very 
own  little  daughter." 

"And  me  too,"  said  Grace. 

"Yes;  good  to  me  as  well  as  to  you,"  re 
sponded  the  captain,  "for  my  darlings  seem  to 


192  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

me  the  dearest,  most  lovable  children  in  the 
world.  Well,  Lulu  daughter,  you  may  help 
me  with  your  machine  for  a  half  hour,  if  you 
wish." 

"  Oh,  yes,  papa ;  yes,  indeed !  I'll  be  glad  to !" 
she  exclaimed,  hastening  to  uncover  it,  put  in 
the  paper,  and  seat  herself  before  it,  while  her 
father  took  up  a  letter,  glanced  over  the  con 
tents,  then  began  his  dictation. 

It  was  a  business  note  and  had  no  interest 
for  Grace,  who  presently  wandered  out  upon  the 
Teranda  with  her  well  filled  purse  in  her  hand. 

Grandma  Elsie  sat  there  alone,  reading. 
"What  a  bright,  happy  face,  my  little  Gracie," 
she  said,  glancing  up  from  her  book  as  the  child 
drew  near.  "Has  some  special  good  come  to 
you,  dear?" 

"  Yes,  ma'am ;  see !"  exclaimed  the  little  girl, 
displaying  her  well  filled  purse ;  "  it  was  empty, 
and  my  dear  papa  has  just  filled  it.  You  see, 
Grandma  Elsie,"  drawing  near  and  lowering  her 
voice,  "  I  was  wanting  to  buy  a  few  things  for 
good-by  presents  to  some  of  the  poor  old  colored 
folks,  but  I'd  spent  every  cent  of  my  money  and 
thought  I'd  have  to  give  it  up ;  and  I'm  oh,  so 
glad  that  I  won't  have  to  now.  And — Oh,  Grand 
ma  Elsie,  you  and  mamma  will  help  me  to 
think  what  will  be  best  to  get  for  them,  won't 
you?" 

"I  will  be  very  glad  to  do  anything  I  can  to 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  193 

belp  you,  dear  child,"  replied  Grandma  Elsie 
in  her  low,  sweet  tones,  and  softly  stroking  the 
golden  curls  as  the  little  girl  stood  close  at  her 
side.  "Suppose  you  get  a  pencil  and  paper 
from  the  school-room  and  make  out  a  list  of 
those  to  whom  you  wish  to  give,  and  opposite  to 
each  name  the  gift  that  seems  most  suitable." 

Grace's  reply  was  a  joyful  assent,  and  she 
hurried  away  in  search  of  the  required  articles. 

She  was  not  gone  more  than  a  very  few  min 
utes,  but  on  her  return  found  that  her  Mamma 
Vi,  Rosie,  and  Evelyn  had  joined  Grandma  Elsie 
on  the  veranda,  had  been  told  by  her  what  was 
the  business  in  hand,  and  were  desirous  to  have 
a  share  in  it. 

They  had  a  pleasant  time  over  their  lists, 
each  making  out  one  for  herself,  while  Lulu  fin 
ished  the  work  she  had  undertaken  for  her 
father.  They  decided  to  write  to  the  city  for 
what  was  wanted,  and  that  anyone  else  who 
wished  could  send  at  the  same  time ;  so  that  mat 
ter  was  satisfactorily  disposed  of. 

"  Oh !"  exclaimed  Grace,  struck  by  a  sudden 
thought,  "  suppose  I  run  to  the  library  and  tell 
papa  and  Lu  about  it,  and  get  him  to  tell  her 
what  to  say,  and  let  her  write  on  the  typewriter 
for  the  things?" 

Everyone  thought  it  an  excellent  idea,  and 
Grace  immediately  carried  it  out. 

"I  quite  approve,"  her  father  said,  when  she 
had  told  her  story  and  made  her  request. 


194  ELSIE  AT  V1AMEDE. 

"I  too,"  said  Lulu,  "and  I'll  join  you  if  papa 
will  help  me  to  decide  what  to  buy.  I'll  write 
the  letter  too,  if  he  will  tell  me  what  to  say." 

"I  am  entirely  willing  to  do  both,  daughter," 
he  said.  "  Let  us  set  to  work  at  once,  as  it  will 
soon  be  dinner-time,  and  I  want  to  take  my 
little  girls  out  for  a  drive  this  afternoon." 

"  Oh,  thank  you,  papa,  thank  you  very  much !" 
they  cried  in  joyous  tones. 

"Is  anybody  else  going,  papa?"  asked  Lulu. 

"Your  Grandma  Elsie,  Mamma  Vi,  and  our 
little  ones,  in  our  carriage ;  as  many  more  as 
may  wish  to  go  either  in  other  carriages  or  on 
horseback.  Perhaps  you  would  prefer  to  ride 
your  pony?" 

"No,  sir;  not  if  you  are  to  be  in  the  carriage 
I  may  ride  in." 

"Ah,  you  are  very  fond  of  being  with  your 
father,"  he  said,  with  a  pleased  smile. 

"Yes,  sir;  yes,  indeed!  just  as  close  as  I  can 
get,"  stroking  and  patting  his  cheek,  then  pres 
sing  her  lips  to  it  in  an  ardent  kiss, 

"And  it's  exactly  the  same  with  me,  you  dear, 
darling  papa !"  exclaimed  Grace,  putting  an  arm 
round  his  neck.  "And  it's  exactly  the  same 
with  every  one  of  your  children  from  bigMaxie 
down  to  baby  Ned." 

"I  believe  it  is,  and  it  makes  me  very  happy 
to  think  so,"  he  replied.  "But  now,  my  dears. 
we  must  to  work  on  our  list  of  articles." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

IT  was  a  large  party  that  set  out  from  Via« 
mede  shortly  after  leaving  the  dinner-table. 
Most  of  the  young  people — among  them  Chester, 
Frank,  Maud,  and  Sydney  Dinsmore,  Evelyn 
Leland,  Rosie  and  Walter  Travilla — preferred 
riding. 

These,  having  swifter  steeds,  presently  dis 
tanced  the  rest  of  the  riders,  as  well  as  those 
who  were  driving,  and  in  passing  a  plantation, 
which  was  the  home  of  Nettie  Vance,  an  old 
school-mate  of  the  Viamede  young  folks  at  the 
time,  several  years  before,  of  their  attendance 
at  Oakdale  Academy,  they  were  joined  by  her 
and  a  young  man  whom  she  introduced  as  her 
brother,  both  well  mounted  and  looking  merry 
and  happy. 

"Bob  and  I  were  just  starting  out  for  a  ride," 
ehe  said,  "and  consider  ourselves  fortunate  in 
meeting  with  such  good  company.  May  I  take 
my  place  alongside  of  you,  Miss  Leland?  I  have 
a  bit  of  news  to  tell  which  I  think  will  interest 
you  and  Miss  Travilla.  It  is  that  Signer  Foresti, 
who,  as  you  will  doubtless  remember,  was  a 
teacher  of  music — anything  but  an  agreeable 

195 


196  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE, 

one,  by  the  way — at  Oakdale  Academy  when  we 
were  there  together,  is  quite  ill,  partly  from  an 
accident,  partly  from  drink,  and  extremely  poor. 
I  must  say  I  hardly  pity  him  very  much  for  that 
last,  but  I  do  feel  sorry  for  his  wife  and  chil 
dren." 

"  I  too,"  said  Evelyn.  "  I  wish  it  were  in  my 
power  to  relieve  them,  but  my  purse  is  about 
empty  just  at  present.  However,  I  will  report 
the  matter  at  Viamede,  and  I  am  sure  the  kind 
friends  there  will  see  that  something  is  done 
toward  supplying  their  pressing  needs." 

"Yes,"  returned  Nettie,  "I  have  heard  a 
great  deal  of  the  kindness  and  benevolence  of 
Mrs.  Travilla  and  her  father;  of  Captain  Ray 
mond's  also;  though  I  for  one  could  hardly 
blame  him  if  he  utterly  refused  to  give  any 
assistance  to  a  man  who  had  abused  his  daughter 
as  Foresti  did  Lulu." 

"Nor  I,"  said  Evelyn;  "yet  I  feel  almost 
certain  that  he  will  assist  Foresti.  He  would 
not  let  the  wife  and  children  suffer  for  the  man's 
ill  deeds,  nor  indeed  the  man  himself,  unless  I 
am  greatly  mistaken ;  for  the  captain  is  a  truly 
Christian  gentleman." 

"Indeed  he  is,"  said  Rosie,  "and  very  benev 
olent;  exceedingly  kind  to  the  poor;  to  any 
one  who  is  in  distress  of  any  kind.  I  am  very 
proud  of  that  brother-in-law  of  mine,  Nettie, 
and  don't  care  who  knows  it." 


ELSIE  AT  VIANEDE.  197 

"I  do  not  wonder  at  that,"  returned  Nettie. 
u I  certainly  should  be  if  he  were  mine;  it  is 
very  plain  from  the  way  in  which  Lulu  and 
Gracie  look  at  him  that  they  are  both  fond  and 
proud  of  their  father." 

"Nor  do  I  wonder  at  it,"  said  Robert  Vance, 
joining  in  the  conversation.  "Nettie  pointed 
him  out  to  me  at  church  last  Sunday,  and  I  re 
marked  then  that  he  was  as  fine  looking  a  man 
as  ever  I  saw ;  tall,  straight,  handsome  in  feature, 
and  of  most  noble  countenance." 

"Thank  you,"  Rosie  said,  with  a  smile  and  a 
bow.  "I  think  him  all  that,  and  as  noble  in 
character  as  in  looks.  It  is  my  opinion  that  my 
sister^Violet  drew  a  prize  in  the  matrimonial 
lottery;  and  the  captain  also,  for  Vi  is  in  every 
way  worthy  of  him." 

"Surely,"  returned  the  young  man,  "one 
glance  at  her  is  sufficient  to  assure  one  of  that." 

Rosie  and  Evelyn  then  asked  where  the 
Forestis  were  to  be  found,  and  what  were  their 
most  pressing  needs,  and  having  learned  those 
particulars,  promised  that  someone  from  Via- 
mede  would  call  to  see  and  relieve  them,  Rosie 
adding,  with  a  smile,  "We,  as  you  probably 
know,  are  busy  with  preparations  for  a  wedding 
in  the  family,  yet  I  have  no  doubt  some  one  or 
more  among  us  could  find  time  to  attend  to  this 
call  for  help." 

"Yes,"  said  Walter,  who  had  been  quietly 


198  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

listening  to" the  talk,  "mamma  will  be  sure  to 
find  time  for  such  an  act  of  kindness;  she 
always  does." 

"I  am  sure  of  it,"  responded  Nettie  heartily, 
"from  her  sweet  looks  and  all  I  have  heard  of 
her.  And  so  your  cousin,  Miss  Johnson,  is 
going  to  be  married?"  she  added,  looking  at 
Rosie.  "We  received  our  invitations  yester 
day,  and  are  busy  with  our  preparations.  It 
must  be  delightful  to  have  such  a  thing  coming 
off  in  the  family;  particularly  to  be  the  bride; 
for  I  hear  it  is  to  be  quite  a  grand  affair  and  the 
match  an  excellent  one." 

"Yes,"  returned  Rosie,  "we  are  all  much 
pleased  with  what  we  have  heard  of  the  gentle 
man,  and  I  hope  they  are  going  to  be  very  happy 
together. " 

"I  hope  so,  indeed,"  responded  Nettie.  "I 
am  but  slightly  acquainted  with  Miss  Johnson, 
but  have  always  liked  her  looks." 

It  was  near  tea-time  when  the  Viamede  party 
reached  home  again;  the  ladies  and  little  girls 
had  barely  time  to  dress  for  the  evening  before 
the  summons  to  the  table. 

It  was  while  all  where  seated  about  it  that 
Rosie  and  Evelyn  told  of  the  news  learned  from 
Nettie  Vance  in  regard  to  Signor  Foresti  and 
his  family. 

"Ah,  poor  things!  we  must  do  something  for 
them,"  Grandma  Elsie  said,  when  the  story  was 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  199 

finished.  "  Papa,  shall  we  stop  there  to-morrow 
on  our  way  to  or  from  church?  It  would  be  a 
work  of  mercy  suited  to  the  day,  I  vthink.  Do 
not  you?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Mr.  Dinsmore;  "and it  might 
be  well  to  carry  a  basket  of  provisions  with  us." 

Lulu  had  listened  in  silence  while  the  others 
were  talking,  and  all  through  the  evening  she 
had  but  little  to  say,  seeming  much  of  the  time 
lost  in  thought,  though  usually  she  was  quite 
talkative,  unless,  as  occasionally  happened, 
checked  by  a  slight  reminder  from  her  father 
that  it  would  be  more  becoming  in  a  child  of 
her  age  to  show  herself  a  quiet  listener  to 
older  people. 

The  captain  noticed  her  abstraction,  but, 
guessing  at  the  cause,  said  nothing  about  it  till 
they  were  alone  together  in  her  bedroom;  then, 
drawing  her  to  his  knee,  "My  little  girl  has 
been  unusually  silent  this  evening,"  he  said. 
"Is  anything  wrong  with  her?" 

She  drew  a  long  sigh.  "  I  have  been  trying 
to  decide  a  question  of  duty,  papa,"  she  said, 
"  and,  please — I'd  like  you  to  tell  me  what  to  do." 

"In  regard  to  what,  daughter?" 

"  Giving  a  part  of  my  money — the  money  you 
put  into  my  purse  this  morning — to — to  the  For- 
estis." 

"  I  think  it  would  be  right  and  kind  for  you 
to  do  so  Do  not  vou?" 


200  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"Yes,  sir;  and  I  will  do  it,"  she  said  with 
sudden  determination.  "It  will  be  returning 
good  for  evil,  as  the  Bible  bids  us;  won't  it, 
papa?" 

"Yes;  and  I  think  will  help  you  to  forgive 
the  man  for  his  ill  treatment  of  my  dear  little 
daughter,"  drawing  her  closer  and  kissing  her 
fondly. 

"Yes,  sir;  even  the  resolve  hae  made  me  feel 
more  kindly  toward  him.  How  much  ought  I 
to  give,  papa?  I  hardly  think  I'll  have  very 
much  left  after  I've  paid  for  the  presents  I've 
sent  for,  for  the  servants  here." 

"No,  not  a  very  great  deal,  I  presume;  but 
you  are  not  likely  to  need  much  before  there  will 
be  more  pocket-money  coming  to  you." 

"Oh,  no,  sir,  I'll  not,  of  course,  because  my 
dear,  dear  father  provides  everything  I  need  to 
eat  or  wear,  and  pays  my  travelling  expenses 
too,  so  that  I'm  not  really  obliged  to  spend  any 
thing  on  myself,"  she  said,  putting  an  arm 
about  his  neck  and  laying  her  cheek  lovingly 
to  his.  "Papa,  do  you  think  a  dollar  will  be 
enough  for  me  to  give  the  Forestis?" 

"  You  may  decide  that  question  for  yourself, 
my  darling,"  he  said,  patting  her  cheek  and 
stroking  her  hair;  "I  leave  it  entirely  to  you  to 
give  much,  little,  or  nothing,  as  conscience  and 
inclination  dictate." 

"Thank  you,  papa;  you  are  very  kind  to  say 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  201 

that;  but  please  tell  me  if  you  think  a  dollar 
will  be  enough  for  me?" 

"Yes,  I  do,"  was  his  reply,  and  Lulu  looked 
satisfied  and  relieved. 

"I'm  glad,  papa,"  she  said,  "for  I  really  do 
not  know  that  I  shall  have  more  than  that  left 
after  paying  for  the  presents  for  the  servants; 
and  of  course  I  can't  give  more  than  I  have." 

"  Quite  true,"  he  returned,  with  a  slight  smile. 
u  I  would  have  you  make  it  a  rule  never  to  go 
into  debt  for  your  own  gratification  or  for  any 
other  object.  'Out  of  debt,  out  of  danger,'  is 
an  old  and  wise  saying.  Now,  daughter,  it  is 
time  to  say  good-night ;  but  first  let  me  remind 
you  that  to-morrow  is  the  Lord's  day,  and  to  be 
kept  holy.  Try  not  to  think  of  the  exciting 
events  expected  in  the  coming  week,  but  to  spend 
the  time  in  the  worship  of  God  and  the  study 
of  his  word,  that  you  may  grow  in  grace  and 
conformity  to  his  will,  thus  becoming  'meet  for 
the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light,'  and  ready, 
when  he  shall  call  you  away  from  earth,  to  dwell 
forever  with  him  in  that  holy,  happy  land  where 
sin  and  sorrow  are  unknown.  We  will  kneel 
down  together  now  for  a  moment  and  ask  him  to 
help  us  both  to  do  so,  'running  with  patience 
the  race  set  before  us,  ever  looking  unto  Jesus 
the  author  and  finisher  of  our  faith. '  ' 

Sunday  was  passed  by  the  Viamede  family  in 
the  usual  quiet  way,  most  of  its  hours  filled  up 


202  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

with  divine  service  in  the  sanctuary  or  at  home, 
and  all  retired  to  rest  at  an  early  hour,  to  rise 
the  next  morning  in  renewed  health  and 
strength,  the  children  rejoicing  in  their  holi 
day  and  the  near  approach  of  the  wedding 
festivities. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dinsraore  had  the  day  before, 
on  their  way  to  church,  called  upon  the  Italian 
music  teacher,  taking  with  them  delicacies  for 
the  sick  man,  and  other  articles  of  food  for  the 
rest  of  the  family;  some  money  also,  in  which 
was  included  Lulu's  dollar;  and  finding  the 
services  of  a  physician  were  needed,  had  en 
gaged  to  send  one. 

Dr.  Dick  Percival  undertook  the  errand, 
made  a  professional  call,  and  on  his  return  re 
ported  the  man  quite  ill,  but  likely  to  recover 
with  good  and  competent  nursing.  He  went 
over  again  on  Monday  morning,  but  called  first 
at  Viamede  to  report  to  his  uncle  Dinsmore  and 
the  captain. 

Lulu  was  present  at  the  interview  and  heard 
with  interest  all  that  Cousin  Dick  had  to  tell 
about  the  signer  and  his  family. 

"There  are  three  children,"  said  Dick — "for 
lorn  looking  little  creatures,  with  apparently  no 
playthings  except  a  few  broken  bits  of  china, 
and  for  doll  babies,  some  corn  cobs  wrapped 
in  rags." 

"Oh,  papa,"    exclaimed  little  Elsie,  seated 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  203 

Upon  her  father's  knee,  "mayn't  I  send  dem 
gome  of  my  dollies?" 

"Yes,  if  you  want  to  do  so, "he  replied,  smil 
ing  'upon  her,  and  smoothing  her  curls  caress 
ingly  with  his  hand. 

"And  I  will  hunt  up  some  playthings  for 
them  too,  if  I  may,  papa,"  said  Lulu. 

"  Certainly,"  he  said ;  "  you  may  do  so  at  once, 
and  we  three  and  Gracie  will  drive  over  there  in 
the  carriage,  which  I  will  order  immediately; 
that  is,  if  Cousin  Dick  does  not  object  to  our 
company?" 

"  Not  by  any  means,  Captain ;  I  shall  be  de 
lighted  to  have  it,"  said  Dr.  Percival.  "And 
will  you  drive  over  with  me,  Art?"  turning  to 
Dr.  Conley. 

"  With  pleasure,  Dick,"  was  the  reply,  and  in 
a  short  time  all  were  on  their  way,  the  children 
well  laden  with  toys  and  sweets  for  the  little 
Forestis. 

Violet  had  been  invited  to  accompany  her 
husband,  but.  declined  because  of  some  prepara 
tions  still  to  be  made  for  the  wedding.  Little 
Ned,  however,  had  no  such  excuse,  and  gladly 
made  one  of  the  merry  little  party  in  his  father's 
carriage. 

Dr.  Percival,  having  other  patients  needing 
his  attention,  said  he  intended  to  make  but  a 
short  call  upon  the  Italian,  and  the  captain  did 
not  think  it  worth  while  for  his  children  to 


204  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

alight;  but  from  the  carriage  they  witnessed 
with  delight  the  pleasure  conferred  upon  the 
little  Forestis  by  their  gifts. 

Captain  Raymond  left  them  for  a  few  mo 
ments  while  he  went  in  to  see  the  sick  man,  to 
whom  he  spoke  with  the  utmost  kindness,  con 
doling  with  him  on  his  sufferings,  and  inquiring 
if  they  were  very  great. 

"De  bains  ish  ver  bad,  sare,"  replied  the 
man,  with  a  heavy  sigh.  Then,  with  an  earnest 
look  into  the  captain's  face,  his  own  flushing 
hotly,  "  You,  sare,  ish  de  fader  off  Mees  Lu  Ray 
mond?"  he  said  inquiringly. 

"I  am,  sir,"  replied  the  captain  with  some 
sternness  of  look  and  tone. 

"  Mees  Lu,  she  bees  one  goot  leetle  girl  for 
send  me  that  monish  yesterday,"  continued 
Foresti ;  "  dot  make  me  ver  sorry  I  haf  so  leetle 
batience  mit  her  dat  time  she  sthrike  me  mit  de 
music  book." 

"Yes,"  said  Captain  Raymond,  "and  I  trust 
that  when  you  are  again  able  to  teach  you  will 
try  to  be  more  patient  and  forbearing  with  your 
pupils.  It  will  be  better  for  both  you  and 
them." 

"  Yes,  sare,  I  vill  try  dat  blan ;  but  mine  ba 
tience  bees  sorely  dried  mit  de  mishtakes  off 
dose  careless  bupils  I  haf  to  teach." 

"I  dare  say  that  is  true,"  said  the  captain, 
"  but  one  who  finds  it  impossible  to  have  patience 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  20* 

with  pupils,  should  try  some  other  way  of  mak 
ing  a  livelihood  than  by  teaching." 

In  another  minute  or  two  the  captain  left — not 
waiting  for  the  doctors,  who  were,  as  he  knew, 
going  in  another  direction — re-entered  his? 
carriage,  and  started  on  the  return  trip  to 
Viamede. 

"Papa,"  asked  Lulu,  "can't  we  take  a  little 
different  route  going  home?" 

"Yes,"  he  replied  in  an  indulgent  tone,  and 
gave  the  necessary  directions  to  the  driver. 

It  was  a  pleasant,  shady  road  into  which  they 
presently  turned,  and  the  children  chatted  and 
laughed  right  merrily,  receiving  no  rebuke  from 
their  father  and  fearing  none. 

They  had  not  gone  far  on  that  road  when 
they  espied  two  horsemen  approaching  from  the 
opposite  direction. 

"Oh,"  cried  little  Elsie,  "here  come  Cousia 
Ronald  and  Uncle  Horace." 

"An  unexpected  meeting,  Captain,"  Mr.Dins- 
more  remarked,  with  a  bow  and  smile  as  they 
drew  near. 

"But  none  the  less  pleasant,"  returned  Cap 
tain  Raymond* 

"Very  true,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Lilburn,  bowing 
and  smiling  in  his  turn. 

"For  the  captain  and  you  young  folks,  no 
doubt,  but  a  trifle  less  delightful  for  us  who 
have  the  load  to  carry,"  seemed  to  come  from 


206  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

the  mouth  of  one  of  the  horses  as  he  tossed  his 
head  to  shake  off  a  fly. 

"True  enough,  Selim.  You  doubtless  envy 
me  with  only  this  gentleman  to  carry ;  and  I  pity 
you  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart ;  only  that  it 
must  be  good  fun  to  hear  those  little  folks  chat 
ting  and  laughing,"  was  the  answering  remark 
apparently  made  by  the  horse  ridden  by  Mr.  Lil- 
burn,  speaking  as  they  passed  the  captain's  car 
riage. 

Lulu  and  Grace  clapped  their  hands,  laughing 
merrily,  while  baby  Ned  exclaimed,  with  a  look 
of  astonishment,  "Me  didn't  fink  horsey  could 
talk  like  udder  folks!" 

"Oh,  yes!  but  why  did  they  never  do  it 
before?"  cried  little  Elsie.  "Papa,  did  you 
know  they  could  talk?" 

"  I  never  heard  them  do  so  before,  daugh 
ter,"  the  captain  said,  with  an  amused  smile 
down  into  the  earnest,  surprised  little  face, 
"and  I  suspect  that  it  is  only  when  Cousin 
Konald  is  about  that  they  can." 


[CHAPTER  XII. 

RIDES,  drives,  sports  of  various  kinds,  and 
preparations  for  the  wedding,  made  the  time  pass 
very  rapidly  and  pleasantly  to  the  young  folks 
at  Viamede,  Magnolia  Hall,  and  the  Parsonage, 
until  at  length  all  was  in  readiness  for  the  ex 
pected  festivities. 

The  ceremony  was  to  be  performed  at  the 
church,  the  Rev.  Cyril  Keith  officiating,  and 
to  be  immediately  succeeded  by  a  wedding 
breakfast  on  the  lawn  at  Magnolia  Hall.  That 
was  to  be  about  noon,  so  did  not  interfere  with 
the  usual  morning  meal  and  family  devotions  at 
Viamede. 

When  these  had  been  attended  to,  the  ladies 
and  young  girls  scattered  to  their  rooms  to  dress 
for  the  important  occasion. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  Grace  Raymond  and 
Rose  Lacy  were  to  act  as  flower  girls,  dressed  in 
white  tarlatan,  and  white  hats  trimmed  with 
white  ribbon,  and  each  carrying  a  basket  filled 
with  white  roses,  white  japonicas,  and  smilax. 
Rose  Travilla,  Evelyn  Leland,  and  Lulu  Ray 
mond,  dressed  as  had  been  planned  at  the  first, 
were  to  act  as  bridesmaids,  while  Lora  Howard, 

307 


208  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

Maud  and  Sydney  Dinsmore,  were  to  be  maids 
of  honor,  dressed  in  white,  and  carrying  bou 
quets  of  white  flowers. 

Betty's  own  dress  was  a  rich  white  silk, 
trimmed  with  elegant  and  costly  lace — the  gift 
of  her  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Embury — and  a  tulle 
veil,  fastened  to  her  head  with  a  wreath  of  orange 
blossoms.  Her  bouquet  was  of  bride  roses  and 
smilax.  The  Dinsmore  and  Howard  cousins 
were  to  act  as  ushers  and  groomsmen. 

All  this  had  been  satisfactorily  arranged,  and 
rehearsals  gone  through  with  several  times  at 
Magnolia  Hall  and  Viamede,  that  each  one  might 
be  perfect  in  his  or  her  part;  otherwise  timid 
little  Gracie  could  not  have  been  induced  to 
undertake  her  share  in  the  ceremony. 

When  she  and  Lulu  were  dressed  for  the  oc 
casion  they  went  in  search  of  their  father  to  ask 
his  opinion  of  their  appearance  and  attire.  He 
scanned  each  daintily  attired,  graceful  little  fig 
ure  with  a  look  of  proud,  fond  affection,  clasped 
them  in  his  arms  and  kissed  them  tenderly. 

"  My  darlings  look  very  sweet  in  their  father's 
eyes,"  he  said;  "but  do  not  be  too  proud  of  your 
appearance,  for  fathers  are  apt  to  see  their  own 
children  through  rose-colored  glasses;  and  it 
is  not  very  likely  that  you  will  attract  particular 
attention  among  so  many  attendants  upon  the 
bride,  who  will  doubtless  be  gazed  upon  more 
admiringly  and  critically  than  anyone  else." 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  209 

"I'm  ever  so  glad  of  that,  papa,"  Gracie  said, 
with  a  sigh  of  relief;  "because  I  dou't  like  to 
be  viewed  with  a  critic's  eye,"  she  concluded 
with  a  merry,  though  slightly  disturbed  little 
laugh. 

"Well,  dear  child,  just  try  to  forget  yourself , 
and  I  have  no  doubt  everything  will  go  right," 
he  said,  drawing  both  her  and  Lulu  closer  into 
his  arms  for  a  little  more  petting  and  caress 
ing. 

That  was  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of 
their  mamma  Vi,  coming  upon  the  same  errand 
that  had  brought  them. 

"Will  I  do,  my  dear?"  she  asked,  with  a 
bright,  winsome  smile. 

"Ah,  my  Violet,  my  sweet  and  beautiful 
flower,"  he  returned,  regarding  her  with  ardently 
admiring  eyes,  "  I  fear  you  will  outshine  the 
bride.  You  look  very  like  one  yourself,  except 
a  most  becoming  air  of  maturity;  scarcely  older 
and  certainly  not  less  beautiful  than  when  you 
gave  yourself  to  me." 

"And  accepted  you  in  return;  deeds  which  I 
have  never  yet  for  a  moment  regretted,"  she  said, 
with  a  coquettish  smile  up  into  his  face ;  for  he 
had  put  his  little  girls  gently  aside  and  risen  to 
take  a  critical  survey  of  his  young  and  beautiful 
wife. 

"And  never  shall  if  in  my  power  to  prevent 
It,  my  love,  my  darling,"  he  said  low  and  ten- 


210  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

derly,  laying  a  hand  upon  her  shoulder,  and 
bending  down  to  press  a  fond  kiss  upon  her  lips. 

They  were  in  the  library,  whither  the  cap 
tain  had  gone,  after  arraying  himself  for  the 
wedding  festival,  to  wait  for  the  ladies  and 
damsels  who  were  to  go  under  his  care. 

"Ah,  Brother  Levis,  I  have  caught  you  in  the 
very  act,"  laughed  Rosie,  dancing  into  the  room, 
already  in  bridesmaid's  attire,  and  looking  but 
little  less  attractive  than  Violet  herself. 

"  Ah !  and  what  of  that,  little  sister?"  he  asked. 
"  Who  has  a  better  right  than  her  husband  to 
bestow  caresses  upon  a  beautiful  and  attractive 
woman?" 

"  Captain  Raymond,  being  my  teacher,  has  an 
undoubted  right  to  question  me  in  the  school 
room,"  laughed  Rosie,  with  an  arch  look  up 
into  his  face,  "but — I  don't  know  that  he  has 
here  and  now.  Now  please  let  me  have  your 
candid  opinion  of  my  dress  and  appearance," 

"You  will  do  very  well,  little  sister;  there  is 
no  fault  to  be  found  with  your  appearance,  so 
far  as  I  can  see,"  he  answered  in  a  non-committal 
tone,  and  with  a  mischievous  twinkle  of  fun  in 
his  eye. 

At  that  Rosie  pretended  to  pout.  "  You  keep 
all  your  compliments  for  Vi,"  she  said.  "  But — 
ah,  here  comes  Eva,  and  I  wonder  if  you  can 
afford  one  to  her.  She  is  certainly  worthy  of  it. " 

Evelyn  did  indeed  look  sweet  and  fair  in  a 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  211 

becoming  white  chip  hat  and  her  pretty  dress  of 
pale  blue  silk  trimmed  with  lovely  lace. 

Rosie's  own  dress  was  a  delicate  pink ;  Lulu's 
canary  color;  all  of  the  same  material. 

"That  she  is,  in  my  opinion,"  returned  the 
captain,  bestowing  a  fatherly  caress  upon  the 
young  orphan  girl,  then  offering  the  same  to 
Rosie. 

"  Well,  now,  you  are  a  nice  brother — my  big, 
big  brother,  you  remember,"  she  laughed,  "so  I 
won't  repulse  you;  help  yourself  and  let  us  have 
it  over." 

Just  at  that  moment  her  mother  came  in, 
dressed  for  the  wedding  in  a  beautiful  pearl- 
colored  silk  and  point  lace,  a  knot  of  white  roses 
at  her  throat  and  in  her  belt,  her  lovely  and 
abundant  golden  brown  hair  simply  and  taste 
fully  arranged. 

"Mamma!"  exclaimed  Violet,  "you  are  the 
most  beautiful  and  tastefully  attired  one  among 
us!" 

"In  the  partial  eyes  of  my  daughter  Violet," 
was  the  smiling  rejoinder.  "But  to  me  her 
youthful  beauty  far  exceeds  her  mother's  fading 
charms.". 

"  I  incline  to  the  opinion  that  the  fading  is 
perceptible  to  no  eyes  but  your  own,  mother," 
remarked  the  captain  gallantly. 

"I  also,"  said  Violet;  "a  rieher,  riper  bloom 
is  all  that  I  can  see." 


212  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"  Or  that  anybody  else  can,"  added  Walter, 
who,  ready  dressed  for  the  wedding,  had  entered 
the  room  just  in  time  to  catch  Violet's  first  ex 
clamation. 

Then  the  other  members  of  the  family  and 
the  guests  came  flocking  in,  the  carriages  were 
announced  as  waiting  for  their  living  freight, 
and  presently  all  were  seated  in  them  and  on 
their  way  to  the  church,  which  they  found 
crowded  with  invited  guests  and  other  spec 
tators. 

The  ceremony  was  short,  but  impressive. 
Bride,  bridesmaids,  flower  girls,  and  maids  of 
honor  were  all  looking  their  best,  and  behaved 
admirably;  groom,  groomsmen,  and[ushers  also, 
among  whom  were  a  brother  and  an  intimate 
friend  of  the  bridegroom,  the  young  cousins 
Arthur  and  Walter  Howard,  Chester  and  Frank 
Dinsmore,  and  little  Walter  Travilla. 

Old  Mr.  Dinsmore,  the  uncle  and  guardian  of 
the  bride,  gave  her  away,  and  was  the  first  to 
salute,  and  call  her  by  her  new  name  on  the  com 
pletion  of  the  ceremony,  the  first  to  congratulate 
the  groom,  and  wish  them  a  great  deal  of  happi 
ness. 

Other  affectionate  greetings  and  best  wishes 
followed  in  quick  succession ;  then  the  carriages 
were  re-entered,  and  all  drove  to  Magnolia  Hall 
to  partake  of  the  wedding  breakfast. 

The  place  was  looking  its  very  loveliest:  the 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  213 

grass  on  the  lawn  like  a  velvet  carpet  of  emerald 
green,  spangled  with  many  flowers  of  varied 
hues,  which  filled  the  air  with  delicious  per 
fume,  and  there,  scattered  about  underneath 
the  magnolia,  orange,  and  other  beautiful  shade 
trees,  were  many  small  tables  resplendent  with 
the  finest  napery,  shining  [silver,  cut  glass,  and 
delicate  china,  and  loaded  with  delicate  and  de 
licious  viands. 

Presently  every  table  was  surrounded  by  a 
merry  group  quite  disposed  to  do  justice  to  the 
tempting  fare,  and  the  air  filled  with  the  pleas 
ant  hum  of  happy  voices  and  low,  gleeful 
laughter. 

The  bride  and  groom,  with  their  attendants, 
were  seated  about  two  tables  not  many  feet 
apart,  while  the  older  members  of  the  Viamede 
family  and  Cousin  Ronald  occupied  another, 
quite  near  to  both;  and  Mr.  Embury  and  his 
Molly,  with  the  Parsonage  family,  Virginia  and 
the  older  Embury  children,  filled  a  third,  not 
far  from  either  of  the  others,  when  presently 
Nero,  a, great  big  Newfoundland  dog  belonging 
to  Mr.  Embury,  showed  himself  at  his  master's 
side,  looking  up  wistfully  into  his  face. 

"Pm  hungry,  good  master,"  were  the  words 
that  seemed  to  come  from  his  lips,  "  and  surely 
your  faithful  dog  might  have  a  taste  of  this 
feast.*' 

At  that  some  of  the  guests  looked  startled  and 


214  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

astounded,  too  much  surprised  to  speak,  but  Mr. 
Embury,  who  was  not  ignorant  of  Cousin  Ron 
ald's  talents,  though  a  little  startled  at  first, 
recovered  his  wits  instantly,  and  replying,  "  Cer 
tainly,  certainly,  Nero;  that's  only  fair,"  handed 
the  dog  a  generous  bit  of  chicken,  and  bade  him 
carry  it  to  a  distance  and  eat  it.  An  order 
which  was  promptly  obeyed. 

"Ah  ha,  ah  ha,  um  h'm!  that's  a  bright  and 
capable  dog,  Mr.  Embury,"  remarked  Cousin 
Ronald,  elevating  his  eyebrows  in  mock  sur 
prise.  "What  would  you  take  for  him,  sir?" 

"He  is  not  for  sale,  Mr.  Lilburn,"  was  Mr. 
Embury's  grave  rejoinder.  "You  must  surely 
see  for  yourself,  sir,  that  he  is  no  ordinary  dog, 
but  an  uncommonly  valuable  animal.  There 
are  not  many  of  his  race  who  can  speak  so 
plainly." 

"Ah  ha,  ah  ha,  umh'm!  that  is  very  true, 
sir.  I  don't  wonder  you  are  not  inclined  to 
part  with  him,  for  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  find  a 
dog  that  can  speak  such  good  English,  nor  for 
that  matter  any  other  language." 

"No,  sir,  they  are  scarce  indeed,"  said  Mr. 
Embury,  "  and  I  had  no  idea  Nero  was  one  of 
them  until  he  spoke  just  now." 

"Ah,  I'm  afraid  the  power  of  speech  will  be 
lost  by  him  as  suddenly  as  it  was  found," 
remarked  Mrs.  Embury  with  a  low,  gleeful 
laugh." 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  215 

*  There  must  certainly  be  a  ventriloquist 
among  us, "remarked  the  groom,  with  a  search 
ing  look  at  Cousin  Ronald. 

"Ah,  do  you  really  think  so,  sir?"  inquired 
Mr.  Lilburn  gravely,  "  and  would  you  do  me 
the  favor  to  point  him  out?" 

"Well,  sir,  I  cannot  say  that  I  am  absolutely 
certain,  but  strongly  incline  to  the  opinion  that 
he  sits  in  the  chair  occupied  by  yourself." 

"  Indeed,  sir,  I  didna  think  I  filled  the  place 
so  ill  that  room  could  be  found  in  it  for  another 
mon!"  exclaimed  Mr.  Lilburn,  again  raising 
his  eyebrows  like  one  astonished,  then  sending 
a  downward  glance  over  his  own  portly  person, 
and  assuming  so  comical  an  expression  of  coun 
tenance  that  no  one  could  see  it  without  smiling 
or  laughing  outright. 

So  fully  was  he  absorbing  the  attention  of 
all  that  no  one  noticed  the  return  of  Nero  until 
words  were  again  heard  apparently  issuing 
from  his  lips. 

"That  was  a  nice  morsel,  master,  but  not 
enough  to  satisfy  the  appetite  of  a  dog  of  my 
size;  so  another  bit,  sir,  if  you  please." 

"  Yes,  sir,  you  shall  have  it,  since  you  ask  so 
politely,"  returned  Mr.  Embury,  handing  him 
another  and  larger  piece  of  the  chicken,  "but 
carry  it  off  where  there  will  be  no  danger  of 
contact  with  wedding  finery." 

Nero  obeyed,  and  as  he  trotted  away,  a  voice 


2 1 6  ELSIE  A  T  VIAMEDE. 

that  seemed  to  come  from  behind  Mr.  Embury, 
said  whiningly: 

"I'm  hungry  too,  sir,  and  surely  a  human 
creature  should  be  treated  at  least  as  well  as  a 
dog." 

At  that  Mr.  Embury  turned  suddenly  round 
as  if  to  see  the  speaker,  nearly  everyone  else 
doing  likewise,  but  no  beggar  was  in 
sight. 

"Well,  sir,"  he  said,  "I  cannot  give  to  an  in 
visible  suppliant;  show  yourself  if  you  want 
anything." 

"  Sir,"  replied  the  voice,  now  seeming  to  come 
from  a  clump  of  bushes  near  at  hand,  "I'm  not 
used  to  begging,  and  don't  want  to  be  seen. 
Can  you  not  send  a  servant  here  with  a  plateful 
of  your  most  toothsome  viands?" 

"Quite  a  modest  request,  sir,"  returned  Mr. 
Embury,  laughing.  "But  I  think  you  will 
have  to  wait  till  the  servants  have  more  leisure ; 
at  present  they  are  all  fully  occupied  in  wait 
ing  upon  my  guests." 

"But  then  you'll  let  him  have  something  to 
eat,  won't  you,  papa?"  pleaded  little  Mary 
Embury.  "You  never  do  turn  anybody  away 
hungry." 

"Certainly  not,  little  daughter;  if  he  could 
be  found  he  should  be  fed." 

"But  shan't  I  drive  him  out,  sir?"  queried  a 
servant  man;  "wedoan' want  no  beggahs  'bout 


ELSIE  A  T  VIAMEDE.  2 1 7 

yar  Dey  mout  help  deirselfs  to  some  o'  de 
silvah  when  nobody  aint  lookin  V 

"Well,  Bill,  you  might  drive  him  out;  he's 
perhaps  a  tramp  watching  his  opportunity  to 
help  himself." 

Bill,  well  pleased  with  the  errand,  set  down 
with  alacrity  the  dish  he  carried,  and  hurried 
toward  the  clump  of  bushes  that  apparently  con 
cealed  the  tramp.  "  Ki,  you  ole  tief  you !"  he 
cried,  "git  long  out  ob  dis;  nobody  doan'  want 
yo'  hyar!  I'se  break  yo'  skull  fo'  yo'  ef  ye  doan 
be  gone  putty  quick !" 

He  pulled  apart  the  bushes  as  he  spoke,  but 
instantly  started  back  in  astonishment  and  terror 
as  he  perceived  that  no  one  was  concealed 
there. 

"  Whar  dat  fellah  dun  gone?"  he  exclaimed. 
"  Dis  chile  doan'  see  nobody  dar  nohow  'tall !" 

"Ha,  ha!  you  don't  look  in  the  right  place," 
cried  the  same  voice  that  had  begged  for  food 
a  moment  before,  the  speaker  seeming  to  be 
directly  behind  him;  and  Bill  wheeled  about 
with  unusual  alacrity  with  the  intention  of  seiz 
ing  his  tormentor,  but  turned  almost  white  with 
terror  on  perceiving  that  no  one  was  there. 

"  Wha — wha — wha  dat  raskil  done  gone?"  he 
exclaimed,  "t'ot  he  right  dar,  an'  he  aint  no- 
whar  'bout." 

"Nevermind,  Bill;  it  seems  he  has  saved  you 
the  trouble  of  driving  him  off,"  said  Mr.  Em- 


218  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

bury,  "  and  you  may  come  back  to  your  duties. 
More  coffee  is  wanted  here." 

Bill  obeyed,  but  on  bis  return  witb  tbe  coffee 
kept  glancing  apprebensively  in  the  direction  of 
the  bushes. 

"I  wonder  where  the  man  did  go!"  ex 
claimed  little  Mary  presently.  "I've  been 
watching,  and  don't  know  how  he  could  get 
away  without  being  seen." 

"Beggars  are  sometimes  very  quick  at  hid 
ing,  little  lassie,"  remarked  Mr.  Lilburn. 

"Ha,  ha!  so  they  are!"  cried  the  voice  of  the 
beggar,  sounding  as  though  he  stood  just  be 
hind  her  chair. 

"  Oh !"  she  exclaimed,  with  a  start  and  a  back 
ward  glance.  "Why,  where  is  he?  I  don't  see 
him  at  all." 

"Don't  be  frightened,  daughter,"  Mr.  Em 
bury  said  in  an  encouraging  tone. 

"No,  bit  lassie,  he's  not  dangerous,"  re 
marked  Mr.  Lilburn,  with  a  reassuring 
smile. 

"  Oh,  do  you  know  him,  sir?"  she  asked,  look 
ing  up  inquiringly  into  his  face. 

"I  didna  see  him,"  replied  the  old  gentleman 
laughingly,  "but  judging  by  his  voice  I  think  I 
know  who  he  is — a  quiet,  inoffensive  country 
men  o'  me  ain." 

"Ah,  yes,  a  rather  intimate  acquaintance  of 
yours,  sir,  is  he  not?"  queried  Norton,  with  a 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  219 

searching  look  into  the  face  of  the  old  gentle 
man  and  a  half  mocking  smile. 

"  I  think  I  may  have  heard  the  voice  before, 
sir,"  Mr.  Lilburn  replied  with  unmoved  counte 
nance.  "  It  is  not  unusual  for  beggars  to  accost 
one  who  is  by  no  means  o'  the  same  class  as  them 
selves.  In  fact,  as  ony  body  can  see,  it  would 
be  useless  to  ask  alms  o'  those  no  richer  than 
themselves." 

"Ah,  true  enough,  sir!"  was  the  reply. 

Meanwhile,  many  mirthful  glances  had  been 
exchanged  by  those — particularly  the  young 
folks — acquainted  with  the  secret  of  Cousin 
Ronald's  peculiar  talent,  and  the  guests  at  more 
distant  tables  were  looking  on  with  a  good  deal 
of  curiosity.  Bill  was  presently  questioned  as 
he  passed  them  on  his  way  to  and  from  the 
kitchen.  "  What  was  it  you  saw  yonder  in  that 
bush,  Bill?" 

"Nothin'  'tall,  sah." 

"But  you  seemed  frightened;  you  looked 
scared." 

"Dat's  de  reason,  sah ;  somebody  talkin' an' 
nobody  dare." 

"Why,  how  was  that,  Bill?"  queried  another 
voice. 

"Dunno,  sah;  maybe  witches  roun';  'spect 
dat  de  splanation  ob  de  mattah." 

"  Oh,  of  course,"  laughed  the  gentleman ;  "  but 
one  hardly  expects  such  company  at  a  wedding." 


220  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

Questions  were  put  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Embury 
and  others  as  the  guests  drew  together  again 
upon  the  conclusion  of  the  meal,  but  no  satis 
factory  answers  were  elicited. 

A  reception  occupied  some  hours  after  that, 
then  all  returned  to  their  homes,  to  meet  again 
at  Viamede  in  the  evening,  where  a  beautiful 
and  bountiful  entertainment  awaited  them. 

The  next  evening  a  smaller  party  was  given 
at  the  Parsonage,  and  on  the  following  after 
noon  the  bride  and  groom  took  their  departure 
for  a  little  trip  northward,  expecting  to  settle 
down  in  their  own  home  upon  their  return. 


CHAPTER  XIIL 

IT  was  only  the  next  day  after  the  departure  of 
Betty  and  her  husband  that  a  letter  was  received 
by  Mrs.  Cyril  Keith,  informing  her  of  the  death, 
of  her  aunt  Delaford,  leaving  the  bulk  of  her 
large  fortune  to  her,  and  a  fat  legacy  to  each 
of  the  Conley  brothers — Calhoun,  Arthur,  Wal 
ter,  and  Ralph — and  the  sisters  Virginia  and 
Ella. 

Isadore  was  well  satisfied  with  the  provisions 
of  the  will,  as  were  the  others  also,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  Virginia,  who  frowned  and  grumbled 
audibly  that  she  herself  might  have  been  made 
to  share  equally  with  Isadore,  who  had  a  good 
home  and  husband  already,  therefore  really 
needed  less  than  herself,  "lone  and  lorn,  and 
poor  as  a  church  mouse." 

"But  you  have  no  children,  Virgie,"  said  her 
cousin  Elsie,  in  whose  presence  the  remark  was 
made,  "no  one  to  support  but  yourself;  and  the 
interest  of  this  money  will  be  sufficient  for  your 
comfortable  maintenance." 

"Possibly,  if  I  had  a  home,  as  Isa  has;  but 
not  without,"  returned  Virginia  in  a  pettish 
tone,  while  her  eyes  flashed  angrily. 
am 


222  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

Elsie  bore  patiently  with  the  rebuff,  and  said 
no  more  at  that  time,  but  considered  the  matter 
earnestly,  carefully,  and  prayerfully,  in  the 
privacy  of  her  own  room,  then  had  a  talk  about 
it  with  her  father,  without  whose  approval  she 
seldom  took  a  step  of  any  great  importance. 

Finding  him  alone  on  the  veranda,  "Papa,** 
she  said,  taking  a  seat  by  his  side,  "  I  want  a 
few  minutes'  chat  with  you  before  we  are  joined 
by  anyone  else.  You  heard  Virginia's  com 
plaint  of  yesterday — that  she  had  no  home  of 
her  own.  I  have  been  thinking  it  over,  also  of 
the  fact  that  Dick  and  Bob  are  in  the  same  con 
dition,  and  it  has  occurred  to  me  that  I  might 
invite  them  to  take  possession  here  while  we 
are  absent  at  our  more  northern  home,  giving 
employment  to  the  servants,  keeping  the  house 
in  repair,  and  the  grounds  in  order;  that  is, 
merely  overseeing  the  work  and  looking  to  me 
for  the  means  necessary  to  cover  the  expense, 
I  to  retain  my  present  satisfactory  overseer,  and 
pay  his  wages  out  of  the  returns  from  the  crops; 
also  those  of  the  laborers." 

"  You  mean  that  you  would  simply  give  a  home 
here  to  your  cousins?"  returned  Mr.  Dinsmore 
interrogatively. 

"Yes,  sir;  a  home  without  expense — except, 
perhaps,  some  small  increase  of  the  wages  of  the 
servants  in  consideration  of  the  additional 
work  made  for  them,  and  a  share  of  the  fruits, 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  223 

vegetables,  fowls,  and  so  forth,  raised  upon  the 
plantation." 

"A  share?  meaning  all  they  might  want  to 
use?  the  'and  so  forth'  I  suppose,  meaning  milk, 
cream,  butter,  and  eggs?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"I  should  call  it  a  very  generous  offer,  and  I 
have  no  objection  to  bring  it  forward,  seeing 
that  you  are  well  able  to  afford  it,  if  it  is  your 
pleasure  so  to  do." 

"I  am  glad  my  project  meets  with  your  ap 
proval,"  she  said,  with  a  smile,  "for  otherwise, 
as  I  think  you  know,  papa,  it  would  never  be 
carried  out.  Ah,  how  thankful  I  should  be, 
and  I  hope  I  am,  that  I  have  been  given  the 
financial  ability  to  do  such  kindness  to  others !" 

"Yes,"  he  said,  with  an  affectionate  smile  into 
the  soft  brown  eyes  looking  into  his ;  "  I  know 
of  no  one  who  enjoys  doing  kindness  more  than 
my  dear  eldest  daughter. 

"  What  a  delightful  winter  and  early  spring 
we  have  had  here,"  he  continued  after  a  pause; 
"but  it  is  now  growing  so  warm  that  I  think 
we  must  soon  be  moving  northward." 

"Yes,  sir;  when  the  last  arrivals  have  had  a 
week  or  more  of  the  enjoyment  to  be  found  in 
this  lovely  region  of  country." 

"Yes;  they  are  enjoying  it,"  he  said,  with  a 
pleased  smile ;  "  the  younger  ones  especially,  the 
children  of  your  brother  and  sister  not  less  than 


224  ELSIE  AT  VIANEDE. 

the  otters.  And  by  the  way,  daughter,  I  think 
you  will  be  doing  no  little  kindness  to  your 
cousins  Cyril  and  Isadore  by  giving  Virginia 
a  home  here." 

"  Yes,  I  think  their  home  life  will  be  more 
peaceful,"  she  said  in  assent.  "Poor  Virgie 
seems  to  be  not  of — the  happiest  or  most  con 
tented  disposition." 

"No,  she  never  was,"  said  Mr.  Dinsmore;  "a 
discontented,  fretful,  complaining  creature  she 
has  always  been  since  I  have  known  her,  and 
•she  was  a  very  little  child  when  our  acquaint 
ance  began." 

In  the  course  of  that  day  Elsie's  plans  were 
made  known  to  the  Keiths,  Virginia,  and 
her  cousins  Dick  Percival  and  his  half-brother 
Bob  Johnson,  joyfully  accepted  by  the  two 
gentlemen,  and  half  ungraciously  by  Virginia, 
who  said  complainingly,  that  "Viamede  was  a 
pretty  enough  place,  to  be  sure,  but  would  be 
•dreadfully  lonesome  for  her  when  the  boys  were 
away." 

"  Then  you  can  amuse  yourself  with  a  book 
from  the  library,  a  ride  or  drive,  as  the  horses 
and  carriages  will  be  left  here  for  your  use  and 
that  of  Dick  and  Bob,"  Elsie  answered  pleas 
antly,  while  Isadore,  blushing  vividly  for  her 
sister,  exclaimed,  "  O  Virgie,  you  could  not  have 
a  lovelier,  sweeter  home,  and  I  think  Cousin 
Elsie  is  wonderfully  kind  to  offer  it  I" 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMKDE.  225. 

"Of  course,  I'm  greatly  obliged  to  her," 
Virginia  said,  coloring  slightly  as  though  a  trifle 
ashamed  of  her  want  of  appreciation  of  the  kind 
offer  "and  I'll  not  damage  anything,  so  thak 
the  house  will  be  none  the  worse  for  my  occu 
pancy,  but  possibly  a  little  better." 

"Yes,  perhaps  it  may,"  Elsie  said  pleasantly, 
"though  the  servants  usually  left  in  charge  are 
careful  about  airing  it  and  keeping  everything 
neat  and  clean.  I  really  think  you  will  have  no 
trouble  with  your  housekeeping,  Virgie." 

"  That  seems  a  pleasant  prospect,  for  I  never 
liked  housekeeping,"  returned  Virginia,  "and 
I  really  am  much  obliged  to  you,  Cousin 
Elsie." 

"You  are  very  welcome,  and  I  hope  will  be 
happy  here,"  was  the  kindly  reply. 

Another  fortnight  of  constant  intercourse 
between  the  three  places — Viamede,  Magnolia 
Hall,  and  the  Parsonage — of  rides,  drives, 
walks,  sailing  or  rowing  about  on  the  lagoon,, 
and  every  other  pleasure  and  entertainment  that 
could  be  devised,  then  the  party  began'to  break 
up,  those  from  the  north  returning  to  their 
homes,  most  of  them  by  rail,  as  the  speediest 
and  the  most  convenient  mode  of  travel.  How 
ever,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dinsmore,  Evelyn,  Grandma 
Elsie  and  her  youngest  two,  Cousin  Ronald  and 
the  Woodburn  family,  returned  together  by  sea, 
making  use  of  the  captain's  yacht,  which  he  had 


226  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDK 

ordered  to  be  sent  to  him  in  season  for  the  trip 
by  the  Gulf  and  ocean. 

There  was  no  urgent  need  of  haste,  and  the 
captain  did  not  deny  that  he  was  conscious  of 
a  longing  to  be,  for  a  time,  again  in  command 
of  a  vessel  sailing  over  the  briny  deep ;  besides, 
it  would  be  less  fatiguing  for  the  little  ones,  to 
say  nothing  of  their  elders. 

The  little  girls  were  full  of  delight  at  the  pros 
pect  of  both  the  voyage  and  the  return  to  their 
lovely  homes,  yet  could  not  leave  beautiful  Via- 
mede  without  deep  regret. 

It  was  the  last  evening  but  one  of  their  stay; 
all  were  gathered  upon  the  veranda  looking  out 
upon  the  lagoon  sparkling  in  the  moonlight,  and 
the  velvety  flower-bespangled  lawn,  with  its 
many  grand  and  beautiful  old  trees.  The  little 
ones  had  already  gone  to  their  nests,  but  Evelyn, 
Lulu,  and  Grace  were  sitting  with  the  older  peo 
ple,  Grace  on  her  father's  knee,  the  other  two 
together  close  at  hand. 

There  had  been  some  cheerful  chat,  followed 
by  a  silence  of  several  minutes.  It  was  broken 
by  a  slight  scuffling  sound,  as  of  a  negro's  foot 
step,  in  the  rear  of  Elsie's  chair,  then  a  voice 
said  in  mournful  accents,  "  Scuse  de  in'truption, 
missus,  but  dis  chile  want  to  'spress  to  you  uns 
dat  we  uns  ail  a'most  heart-broke  t'inkin'  how 
you's  gwine  'way  an'  p'r'arps  won't  be  comin* 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  ^27 

heah  no  mo*  till  de  ol'est  ob  us  done  g^ne  for- 
eber  out  dis  wicked  worl'." 
'     Before  the  sentence  was  completed  every  eye 
had  turned  in  the  direction  of  the  sounds ;  but 
nothing  was  to  be  seen  of  the  speaker. 

"Oh,  that  was  you,  Cousin  Ronald,"  laughed 
Rosie,  recovering  from  the  momentary  start 
given  her  by  the  seemingly  mysterious  disap 
pearance  of  the  speaker. 

"Ah,  Rosie,  my  bonnie  lassie,  how  can  you 
treat  your  auld  kinsman  so  ill  as  to  suspect  him 
of  murdering  the  king's  English  in  that  style?" 
queried  the  old  gentleman  in  hurt,  indignant 
tones. 

"Because,  my  poor  abused  cousin,  I  am  utterly 
unable  to  account  in  any  other  way  for  the 
phenomenon  of  an  invisible  speaker  so  close  at 
hand." 

Cousin  Ronald  made  no  reply,  for  at  that  in 
stant  there  came  a  sound  of  bitter  sobbing,  ap 
parently  from  behind  a  tree  a  few  feet  from  the 
veranda's  edge,  then  a  wailing  cry,  "  Oh,  Miss 
Elsie,  Massa  Dinsmore,  and  de  res'  ob  you  dar, 
doan'  go  for  to  leab  dis  po'  chile!  She  cayn't 
stan'  it  nohow  'tall !  her  ole  heart  like  to  break ! 
Doan'  go  way,  massa  an'  missus;  stay  hyah  wid 
de  niggahs  dat  lubs  you  so !" 

"  Oh,  Cousin  Ronald,  don't !"  Elsie  said  in  half 
tremulous  tones.  "  It  seems  too  real,  and  almost 


228  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

breaks  my  heart ;  for  I  am  greatly  attached  to 
many  of  these  poor  old  men  and  women." 

"  Then  I  think  they  will  not  distress  you  with 
any  more  complaints  and  entreaties  to-night, 
sweet  cousin,"  returned  the  old  gentleman  in 
pleasant,  though  half  regretful  tones. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  next  day  the  servants  were  gathered  on 
the  lawn  and  presented  with  the  parting  gifts 
procured  for  them  by  the  ladies  and  little  girls, 
which  they  received  with  many  thanks  and  dem 
onstrations  of  delight.  But  the  following  morn 
ing,  when  the  time  of  parting  had  really  come, 
there  were  some  tears  shed  by  the  old  retainers, 
yet  they  were  greatly  cheered  by  the  assurances 
of  their  loved  mistress,  her  father,  and  Captain 
Raymond,  that  in  all  probability  it  would  not 
be  very  long  before  the  family  would  be  there 
again  for  a  season. 

The  feelings  of  the  departing  ones  were  of 
a  mingled  character — regret  at  leaving  lovely 
Viamede,  and  joy  in  the  prospect  of  soon  being 
again  in  their  own  sweet  homes  farther  north. 

The  weather  was  delightful,  light  fleecy 
clouds  tempering  the  heat  of  the  sun ;  the  fields 
and  plantations  clothed  in  the  richest  verdure  of 
spring ;  the  air  filled  with  the  perfume  of  flowers 
and  vocal  with  the  songs  of  birds ;  then  on  reach 
ing  Bayou  Teche  they  found  their  own  yacht, 
the  Dolphin,  awaiting  them- 

The  young  folks  of  ^he  party  greeted  her 


230  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

with  a  clapping  of  hands  and  many  another 
demonstration  of  delight,  and  soon  all  were  on 
board,  and  she  was  steaming  out  through  the 
bay,  into  the  Gulf  beyond,  her  passengers,  from 
Grandpa  Dinsmore  down  to  baby  Ned,  grouped 
together  on  deck  underneath  an  awning. 

"We  are  in  the  Gulf  now,  aren't  we,  sir?" 
asked  Walter  at  length,  addressing  the  captain. 

"Yes,  my  boy,"  was  the  pleasant  toned  reply; 
"and  are  there  any  places  along  its  coast  that 
you  or  any  of  the  others  would  particularly  like 
to  see?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir;  yes,  indeed !"  exclaimed  Walter 
with  enthusiasm.  "  I  for  one  would  like  greatly 
to  see  Mobile  Bay  with  its  fort.  Morgan  is  the 
name?" 

"Yes;  Fort  Morgan  is  at  the  extremity  of 
Mobile  Point,  where  Fort  Bowyer  stood  in  the 
War  of  1812-14.  You  remember  what  hap 
pened  there  at  that  time?" 

"It  was  attacked  by  the  British,  wasn't  it, 
sir?" 

"Yes;  in  September,  1814,  by  a  British 
squadron  of  two  brigs  and  two  sloops  of  war, 
aided  by  a  land^f  orce  of  one  hundred  and  thirty 
marines  and  six  hundred  Indians,  led  by  Cap 
tain  Woodbine,  who  had  been  trying  to  drill 
them  at  Pensacola. 

"  Ylorida  did  not  belong  to  us  at  that  time ; 
the  Spaniards  had  made  a  settlement  at  Pensa- 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  231 

cola  in  1696,  were  still  there  at  the  time  of  our 
last  war  with  England,  and  favored  the  British, 
who  there,  as  well  as  in  other  parts  of  Florida, 
organized  expeditions  against  the  United  States, 
the  Spanish  governor,  though  professing  neu 
trality,  evidently  siding  with  and  giving  them 
aid  and  comfort." 

"And  when  then  did  we  get  possession  of 
Florida,  sir?"  asked  Walter. 

"In  July  of  1821,"  answered  the  captain. 

"Didn't  Jackson  capture  Pensacola  at  one 
time  during  that  war  with  England,  Captain?" 
asked  Evelyn. 

"  Yes ;  in  the  attack  about  which  Walter  was 
just  asking,  before  Lafitte  forwarded  to  New 
Orleans  those  documents  showing  how  the 
British  were  trying  to  get  him  into  their  service, 
Jackson  had  perceived  that  the  Spaniards  were, 
as  I  have  said,  secretly  siding  with  the  British, 
and  now,  with  the  positive  proof  furnished  by 
those  papers  before  him,  he  squarely  accused 
Manrequez,  the  Spanish  governor  at  Pensacola, 
of  bad  faith. 

'  "  Then  followed  a  spicy  correspondence,  which 
Jackson  closed  by  writing  to  the  governor,  'In 
future  I  beg  you  to  withhold  your  insulting 
charges  against  my  government  for  one  more 
inclined  to  listen  to  slander  than  I  am;  nor  con 
sider  me  any  more  a  diplomatic  character  unless 
so  proclaimed  from  the  mouth  of  my  cannon. ' 


232  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"Then  he  set  to  work  to  raise  troops,  and  in  a 
very  short  time  had  two  thousand  sturdy  young 
Tennesseeans  ready  for  the  field. 

"But  before  these  reached  Mobile,  hostilities 
had  begun.  Jackson  himself  went  there  early  in 
August,  and  on  his  arrival  perceived  that  an  at 
tempt  would  be  made  by  the  British  to  seize  it 
as  soon  as  their  talked  of  great  expedition  should 
be  ready  to  move. 

"  Fort  Bowyer  was  but  a  small  and  weak  forti 
fication  ;  had  no  bomb-proofs,  and  but  twenty 
guns,  only  two  of  them  larger  than  twelve 
pounders,  some  still  smaller  in  size. 

"Yet  small  and  weak  as  was  the  fort,  it  was 
the  chief  defence  of  Mobile;  so  Jackson  threw 
into  it  a  hundred  and  thirty  of  his  Second  Regu 
lar  Infantry,  under  Major  William  Lawrence, 
who  was  as  gallant  an  officer  as  any  in  the 
service. 

"Lawrence  at  once  made  every  preparation  in 
his  power  to  resist  the  expected  attack.  But 
before  he  could  complete  his  work,  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  12th  of  September,  the  British  Lieu 
tenant-colonel  Nichols  appeared  on  the  penin 
sula  back  of  the  fort,  with,  as  I  have  said,  his 
marines  and  Indians,  the  latter  under  the  com 
mand  of  Captain  Woodbine,  who  had  been 
drilling  them  at  Pensacola. 

"Later  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day  the 
four  British  vessels  of  which  I  spoke  appeared 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  231 

rn  sight,  and  anchored  within  six  miles  of  Mo 
bile  Point.  They  were  a  part  of  a  squadron  of 
nine  vessels  in  Pensacola  Bay,  under  the  com 
mand  of  Captain  Percy. 

"Our  little  garrison  slept  upon  their  arms 
that  night.  The  next  morning  Nichols  caused 
a  howitzer  to  be  dragged  to  a  sheltered  point 
within  seven  hundred  yards  of  the  fort,  and 
threw  some  shells  and  solid  shot  from  it,  but 
without  doing  much  damage." 

"And  our  fellows  fired  back  at  him,  of 
course?"  exclaimed  Walter  excitedly. 

"Yes,  but  their  fire  was  equally  harmless; 
but  later  in  the  day  Lawrence's  guns  quickly 
dispersed  some  of  Percy's  men  who  were  at 
tempting  to  cast  up  intrenchments,  and  in  the 
same  way  several  light  boats,  whose  men  were 
engaged  in  sounding  the  channel  nearest  the  fort. 

"  The  next  day  was  occupied  in  very  much 
the  same  way,  but  on  the  third  the  garrison 
perceived  that  an  assault  was  to  be  made  from 
both  land  and  water.  At  two  o'clock  the  vessels 
were  seen  approaching,  and  Lawrence  called  a 
council  of  officers. 

"  All  were  determined  to  resist  to  the  last,  and 
if  finally  compelled  to  surrender,  to  do  so  only 
on  condition  that  officers  and  privates  should 
retain  their  arms  and  private  property,  be 
treated  as  prisoners  of  war,  and  protected  from 
the  savages. 


234  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"The  words  adopted  as  the  signal  for  the  day- 
were,  'don't  give  up  the  fort.' 

"At  half  past  four  the  battle  began,  the  four 
vessels  opening  fire  simultaneously,  and  pouring 
broadside  after  broadside  upon  the  fort,  which 
returned  a  fearful  fire  from  its  circular  battery. 

"  While  this  was  going  on  in  front,  Captain 
Woodbine  was  assailing  our  men  in  the  rear, 
from  behind  his  sand-dune,  with  a  howitzer 
and  a  twelve-pounder. 

"So  the  battle  raged  for  an  hour;  then  the 
flag  of  the  Hermes  was  shot  away,  and  Law 
rence  stopped  firing  to  learn  if  she  had  sur 
rendered  ;  but  the  Caron  fired  another  broadside, 
and  the  fight  went  on  with  renewed  vigor. 
Soon  a  shot  cut  the  cable  of  the  Hermes,  and 
she  floated  away  with  the  current,  her  head 
toward  the  fort,  and  her  decks  swept  of  men 
and  everything  by  a  raking  fire  from  the 
fort. 

"  Then  the  fort's  flag-staff  was  shot  away  and 
her  ensign  fell,  but  the  British,  instead  of  fol 
lowing  Lawrence's  humane  example,  redoubled 
their  fire.  At  the  same  time,  Woodbine,  sup 
posing  that  the  fort  had  surrendered,  hastened 
toward  it  with  his  Indians,  but  they  were  driven 
back  by  a  storm  of  grape-shot,  and  almost  im 
mediately  the  flag  was  seen  again  floating  over 
the  fort  at  the  end  of  the  staff  to  which  Major 
Lawrence  had  nailed  it." 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  235 

"And  was  that  the  end  of  the  fight,  papa?" 
asked  Lulu. 

"Very  nearly,  if  not  quite,"  he  replied. 
"Two  of  the  attacking  vessels  presently  with 
drew,  leaving  the  helpless  Hermes  behind ;  she 
finally  grounded  upon  a  sand-bank,  when  Percy 
fired  and  abandoned  her.  Near  midnight  her 
magazine  exploded." 

"I  should  think  that  was  a  great  victory;  was 
it  not,  Brother  Levis?"  queried  Walter. 

"I  think  it  was,"  the  captain  said.  "The 
result  was  very  mortifying  to  the  British.  It 
was  entirely  unexpected,  and  Percy  had  said 
that  he  would  allow  the  garrison  only  twenty 
minutes  to  capitulate.  It  is  not  surprising  that 
he  expected  to  take  the  weak  little  fort,  with  its 
feeble  garrison  of  one  hundred  and  thirty,  when 
he  brought  against  it  over  thirteen  hundred  men 
and  ninety -two  pieces  of  artillery. 

"  The  Americans  lost  only  eight  men,  one-half 
of  whom  were  killed.  The  assailants  lost  two 
hundred  and  thirty -two,  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
two  of  them  killed. 

"  One  result  of  that  fight  was  that  the  Indians 
lost  faith  in  the  invincibility  of  the  British, 
and  many  of  them  deserted,  and  sought  safety 
from  the  anger  of  Jackson  by  concealing  them 
selves  in  the  interior  of  their  broad  country." 

"Papa,"  said  Grace  earnestly,  "did  not  God 
help  our  cause  because  we  were  in  the  right?" 


836  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"No  doubt  of  it,  daughter,"  replied  the  cap 
tain  ;  "  ours  was  a  righteous  cause,  a  resistance 
to  intolerable  oppression  and  wrong,  as  our  poor 
sailors  felt  it  to  be  when  a  British  man-of-war 
would  stop  our  merchantmen  on  the  high  seas 
and  force  into  their  service  any  man  whom 
they  choose  to  say  was  an  Englishman. 

"But  I  need  not  enlarge  upon  that  subject  to 
my  present  audience,  as  I  am  convinced  that  you 
all  know  of  and  appreciate  that  bitter  wrong. 

"To  resume.  The  Americans  were  highly 
gratified  with  the  result  of  the  conflict  at  Fort 
Bowyer,  and  their  zeal  was  greatly  quickened  for 
volunteering  for  the  defence  of  New  Orleans, 
whose  citizens  testified  their  appreciation  of 
Major  Lawrence's  achievement  by  resolving  to 
present  him  with  an  elegant  sword  in  the  name 
of  their  city." 

"  Was  there  not  a  second  attack  by  the  Brit 
ish  upon  Fort  Bowyer,  Captain?"  asked  Eve 
lyn. 

"Yes;  after  their  defeat  at  New  Orleans. 
That,  you  will  remember,  was  on  the  8th  of  Jan 
uary,  1815.  They  reached  their  fleet,  lying  in 
the  deep  water  between  Ship  and  Cat  Islands, 
on  the  29th  of  that  month,  Fort  Bowyer  on  the 
9th  of  February,  and  besieged  it  for  nearly 
two  days,  when  Major  Lawrence  found  himself 
compelled  to  surrender  to  a  superior  force. 
That  left  Mobile  at  the  mercy  of  the  foe,  but 


ELSIE  A  T  VIAMEDE.  237 

just  then  came  the  news  of  peace,  concluded  at 
Ghent  nearly  two  months  before." 

"But  wasn't  there  some  fighting  done  there 
or  at  Mobile  in  the  Civil  War,  sir?"  asked 
Walter. 

"Yes;  on  August  5,  1864,  the  government 
forces  under  Farragut  attacked  the  Confederate 
defences  there,  consisting  principally  of  the  two 
forts,  Morgan  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  bay, 
and  Gaines  on  the  western,  about  th^ee  miles 
apart. 

"  A  line  of  piles  and  a  double  one  of  torpe 
does  stretched  nearly  across  from  Fort  Gaines 
to  Fort  Morgan,  leaving  only  a  narrow  channel 
between  that  fort  and  the  point  of  termination. 
It  was  through  that  channel,  indicated  by  a  red 
buoy,  that  blockade  runners  passed  in  and  out, 
and  inside  of  these  defences  lay  the  Confeder 
ate  ironclad  Tennessee,  and  three  wooden  gun 
boats.  It  was  early  in  the  morning  of  that 
August  day  that  Farragut's  signal  was  given 
for  the  advance  of  his  seven  sloops  of  war. 
The  firing  was  heavy  and  destructive  on  both 
sides.  But  I  will  not  go  into  particulars  at 
this  time,  only  saying  that  the  result  was  in 
favor  of  the  Federals ;  but  the  victory  cost  many 
lives — of  Federals  335  men,  of  whom  113  were 
drowned  in  the  Tecumseh — the  leading  moni 
tor,  which  had  struck  a  torpedo  and  gone  down — 
and  52  killed  by  shot,  while  the  Confederate  loss 


238  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

was  10  killed,  16  wounded,  and  280  prisoners,  be* 
sides  the  loss  in  the  forts,  which  is  unknown." 
Just  at  this  point  a  passing  vessel  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  captain  and  his  listeners, 
and  the  conversation  was  not  renewed  until  after 
dinner. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

IT  was  Mrs.  Travilla,  or  Grandma  Elsie,  as 
Lulu  and  Grace  called  her,  who  that  afternoon 
started  the  captain  upon  the  historical  sketches 
so  greatly  enjoyed  by  the  younger  part  of  the 
company,  to  say  nothing  of  the  older  ones. 

"  We  will  pass  near  enough  to  Forts  Gaines 
and  Morgan  to  get  a  view  of  them — the  outside 
at  least — will  we  not,  Captain?"  she  asked,  with 
a  smile. 

"Yes,  mother,"  he  replied.  "Pensacola  also, 
whither,  as  I  have  said,  the  British  went  after 
their  fruitless  attack  upon  Fort  Bowyer — now 
Fort  Morgan — then  occupied  by  the  Spaniards 
under  Manrequez,  and  where  they  were  publicly 
received  as  friends  and  allies. 

"All  that,  and  the  revelations  of  Jean  Lafitte 
concerning  their  attempt  to  engage  him  and  his 
outlaws  to  help  them  in  their  contemplated  at 
tack  upon  New  Orleans,  kindled  the  hottest  in 
dignation  in  the  minds  of  Jackson  and  the  peo 
ple  of  the  Southwest.  The  general  issued  a 
proclamation  in  retort  for  one  sent  out  by  the 
British  officer  Nichols  shortly  before,  in  which 
he  had  made  inflammatory  appeals  to  the  French, 

239 


240  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

who  were  prejudiced  against  the  Americans, 
and  the  Kentuckians,  who  were  discontented  be 
cause  of  a  seeming  neglect  by  their  government 
—a  state  of  things  largely  owing  to  the  arts  of 
ambitious  politicians. 

"Nichols  had  also  sent  out  Indian  runners  to 
excite  their  fellows  against  the  Americans,  and 
in  that  way  he  gathered  nearly  a  thousand  Creeks 
and  Seminoles  at  Pensacola,  where  they  were 
supplied  with  abundance  of  arms  and  ammuni 
tion. 

"  Jackson,  in  his  proclamation — told  of  all  this 
the  conduct  of  the  British,  and  the  perfidy  of 
the  Spaniards— and  called  upon  the  people  of 
Louisiana  to  'arouse  for  the  defence  of  their 
threatened  country.' 5: 

"And  did  they  do  it,  sir?"  queried  Walter. 

"  Yes ;  they  were  thoroughly  roused  and  much 
excited  by  the  threatening  aspect  of  affairs,  and 
at  once  set  vigorously  to  work  to  prepare  for  de 
termined  resistance  to  the  threatened  invasion 
of  their  country  and  their  homes. 

*  Jackson  was  impatient  to  march  on  Pen- 
eacola  and  break  up  that  rendezvous  of  the  en 
emies  of  the  United  States,  but  it  was  slow 
work  to  get  his  troops  together,  and  November 
had  come  before  he  had  his  forces  ready  for  the 
attack. 

"At  last,  however,  he  had  four  thousand  men 
gathered  at  Fort  Montgomery,  due  north  from 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  241 

Pensacola,  and  on  the  3d  of  the  month  they 
marched  for  that  place,  some  Mississippi  dra 
goons  leading  the  way. 

"  On  the  evening  of  the  6th,  Jackson,  with  his 
whole  army,  encamped  within  two  miles  of  their 
destination.  Major  Pierre  was  sent  to  the  Span 
ish  governor  with  a  flag  of  truce,  and  a  mes 
sage  from  his  general  saying  that  he  had  not 
come  to  injure  the  town,  or  make  war  upon  a 
neutral  power,  but  to  deprive  the  enemies  of 
the  republic  of  a  place  of  refuge.  Pierre  was 
also  told  to  demand  the  surrender  of  the  forts. 

"  The  British,  however,  were  in  possession  of 
Fort  St.  Michael,  over  which  their's  and  the 
Spanish  flags  had  been  waving  together  until 
the  day  before,  and  as  soon  as  the  American 
flag  of  truce  was  seen  approaching,  it  was  fired 
upon  from  the  fort  by  a  twelve-pounder. 

"Pierre  returned  to  Jackson  and  reported 
these  facts;  then  Jackson  sent  to  the  gover 
nor  a  Spaniard  whom  he  had  captured  on  the 
way,  demanding  an  explanation. 

"  The  governor  asserted  that  he  knew  nothing 
of  the  outrage,  and  promised  that  another  flag 
should  be  respected. 

"At midnight  Pierre,  sent  again  by  Jackson, 
called  once  more  upon  the  governor  with  a  pro 
posal  that  American  garrisons  should  be  allowed 
to  take  possession  of  the  forts  until  Manrequez 
could  man  them  with  a  sufficient  number  of  Span- 


242  ELSIE  AT  VIAXEDE. 

ish  troops  to  enable  him  to  maintain  the  neutral 
ity  of  his  government  against  violations  of  it  by 
the  British,  who  had  taken  possession  of  the  for 
tresses,  it  seemed,  in  spite  of  the  Spanish  gover 
nor's  protests,  the  American  troops  to  be  with 
drawn  as' soon  as  the  additional  Spanish  ones 
arrived. 

"  The  governor  rejected  the  propositions  and 
before  dawn  three  thousand  of  the  Americans 
were  marching  upon  Pensacola.  They  passed 
along  the  beach,  but  the  sand  was  so  deep  that 
they  could  not  drag  their  cannon  through  it. 
Then  the  centre  of  their  column  charged  gal 
lantly  into  the  town,  but  on  reaching  the 
principal  street  they  were  met  by  a  shower  of 
musketry  from  the  gardens  and  houses,  while 
a  two-gun  battery  opened  upon  them  with  balls 
and  grape-shot. 

"But  Captain  Laval  and  his  company  charged 
and  captured  the  battery,  when  the  governor 
quickly  showed  himself  with  a  flag,  and  prom 
ised  to  comply  with  any  terms  offered  if  Jack 
son  would  spare  the  town." 

"I  hope  Jackson  wasn't  too  good  to  him," 
laughed  Rosie. 

"The  surrender  of  all  the  forts  was  what 
Jackson  demanded  and  received,"  replied  the 
captain.  "But  one,  six  miles  away,  called  Fort 
Barancas,  and  commanding  the  harbor,  in  wyhich 
the  British  vessels  lay,  was  still  in  the  hands  of 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  243 

the  enemy.  Jackson  determined  to  march  sud 
denly  upon  it  the  next  morning,  seize  it,  turn 
its  guns  on  the  British  vessels,  and  capture 
or  injure  them  before  they  could  escape. 

"But  before  morning  the  British  squadron 
had  gone,  carrying  with  it  Colonel  Nichols, 
Captain  Woodbine,  the  Spanish  commandant  of 
the  fort,  and  about  four  hundred  men,  besides  a 
considerable  number  of  Indians ;  and  before  leav 
ing  they  had  blown  up  the  fort. 

"Jackson  suspected  that  they  had  gone  to 
make  another  attack  upon  Fort  Bowyer  and  the 
town  of  Mobile,  so  hurried  away  in  that  direc 
tion,  leaving  Manrequez  angry  and  indignant 
at  this  treatment  of  himself  by  the  British,  and 
the  Indians  filled  with  the  idea  that  it  would  be 
very  imprudent  for  them  to  again  defy  the  wrath 
of  Andrew  Jackson ;  much  dejected  and  alarmed, 
they  scattered  themselves  through  the  forests. 

"As  for  Jackson,  when  he  reached  Mobile, 
on  the  llth  of  November,  he  received  messages 
urging  him  to  hasten  to  the  defence  of  New  Or 
leans. 

"He  left  that  place  on  the  21st,  reached  it  on 
the  2d  of  December — but  of  what  he  accom 
plished  there  I  have  already  told  you." 

"Yes,  papa,"  said  Lulu;  "I'll  never  forget 
that  interesting  story.  But  do  tell  me,  will  we 
pass  near  enough  to  Mobile  to  see  those  forts?" 

"Yes,"  he  said;    then  turning  to  Grandma 


344  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

Elsie,  asked,  "Mother,  would  you  like  to  stop 
and  visit  the  forts?" 

"  I  am  willing  if  the  rest  wish  it,"  she  replied ; 
"but  otherwise  would  prefer  to  press  on  toward 
home,  my  Ion  home,  which,  now  that  we  have 
left  Viamede  fairly  behind,  I  begin  to  long  to 
see  again." 

"  That  being  the  case  I  am  sure  no  one  of  us 
will  wish  to  stop,"  returned  the  captain  gal 
lantly,  a  sentiment  at  once  re-echoed  by  Mr. 
Dinsmore  and  all  present. 

"  We  are  nearing  there  now,  are  we  not,  my 
dear?"  asked  Violet. 

"Yes;  we  are  moving  rapidly,  and  if  all  goes 
•well  may  expect  to  see  the  forts  early  this  even 
ing." 

There  was  an  exclamation  of  pleasure  from 
^several  of  the  young  people;  then  Lulu  asked, 
"  Papa,  are  there  not  some  other  historical  places 
we  shall  have  to  pass  while  we  are  in  the  Gulf 
or  after  we  reach  the  ocean?" 

"  Quite  a  number,  daughter,  but  we  will  not 
delay  our  voyage  in  order  to  visit  them  at  this 
time." 

"Perhaps  some  other  day,  then?"  she  re 
turned  inquiringly,  smiling  up  into  his  face  as 
she  spoke. 

"Very  possibly,"  he  returned,  smoothing  her 
hair  with  caressing  hand;  for  she  was,  as  usual, 
close  at  his  side. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  245 

A  pause  in  the  talk  was  at  length  broken  by 
a  remark  from  Cousin  Ronald. 

"  You  had  some  great  men  among  your  Union 
officers,  Captain,  in  both  army  and  navy,  in  the 
days  of  that  terrible  Civil  "War." 

"We  had  indeed,  sir,"  was  the  hearty  re 
sponse;  "a number  of  them  in  both  arms  of  the 
service,  and  none  more  worthy  of  respect  and 
admiration  than  Farragut,  who  did  such  splen 
did  service  at  both  New  Orleans  and  Mobile 
Bay,  to  say  nothing  of  other  places.  The  city 
of  Mobile  could  not  be  captured  as  New  Or 
leans  had  been,  by  reason  of  shoal  water  and  ob 
structions  in  the  channel,  but  the  passage  of 
blockade  runners,  carrying  supplies  to  the  Con 
federacy,  was  stopped,  which  was  the  main  ob 
ject  of  the  expedition." 

"Yes,  he  did  good  service  to  his  country," 
returned  Mr.  Lilburn,  "although,  if  I  mistake 
not,  he  was  a  Southerner." 

"He  was  born  in  Tennessee,"  replied  Captain 
Raymond.  "  In  the  winter  of  1860-61  he  was  on 
waiting  orders  at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  where  he 
watched  with  intense  interest  the  movements  of 
the  Southern  States,  and  especially  the  effort  to 
carry  Virginia  out  of  the  Union  into  the  Con 
federacy;  and  when  that  was  accomplished  he 
remarked  that  'the  State  had  been  dragooned 
out  of  the  Union.' 

"He  talked  very  freely  on  the  subject,  and 


246  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

was  told  that  a  person  with  such  sentiments  as 
his 'could  not  live  in  Norfolk.'  'Well,  then, 'he 
replied,  'I  can  live  somewhere  else,'  and  that 
very  evening  left  the  place,  with  his  wife  and 
son.  That  was  the  18th  of  April,  1861.  He 
went  first  to  Baltimore,  but  afterward  took  a 
cottage  at  Hastings-on-the-Hudson. 

"The  next  December  he  was  summoned  to 
Washington,  and  on  the  2d  of  February  sailed 
from  Hampton  Roads  for  New  Orleans." 

"Where  he  certainly  did  splendid  service  to 
his  country,"  remarked  Mr.  Lilburn.  "I  hope 
she  appreciated  it." 

"I  think  she  did,"  returned  the  captain;  "he 
received  many  marks  of  the  people's  appreci 
ation,  among  them  a  purse  of  $50,000,  which 
was  presented  him  for  the  purchase  of  a  home 
in  New  York  City." 

"Did  he  live  to  see  the  end  of  the  war,  sir?" 
asked  Walter. 

"  Yes ;  he  was  on  the  James  River  with  Gen 
eral  Gordon  when  Richmond  was  taken,  and  on 
hearing  the  news  the  two  rode  there  post-haste, 
reaching  the  city  a  little  ahead  of  President  Lin 
coln.  A  few  days  after  that  the  naval  and 
military  officers  at  Norfolk,  with  some  of  the 
citizens  who  had  remained  true  to  the  Union, 
gave  him  a  public  reception. 

"  Farragut  was  one  of  the  speakers,  and  in  tha 
course  of  his  remarks  said:  'This  meeting  re- 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  247 

calls  to  me  the  most  momentous  events  of  my 
life,  when  I  listened  in  this  place  till  the  small 
hours  of  the  morning,  and  returned  home  with 
the  feeling  that  Virginia  was  safe  and  firm  in 
her  place  in  the  Union.  Our  Union  members 
of  the  convention  were  elected  by  an  over 
whelming  majority,  and  we  believed  that  every 
thing  was  right.  Judge,  then,  of  our  astonish 
ment  in  finding,  a  few  days  later,  that  the  State 
had  been  voted  out  by  a  miserable  minority,  for 
want  of  firmness  and  resolution  on  the  part  of 
those  whom  we  trusted  to  represent  us  there, 
and  that  Virginia  had  been  dragooned  out  of 
the  Union.  I  was  told  by  a  brother  officer  that 
the  State  had  seceded,  and  that  I  must  either 
resign  and  turn  traitor  to  the  government  which 
had  supported  me  from  childhood,  or  I  must 
leave  this  place. 

"  'Thank  God,  I  was  not  long  in  making  my 
decision.  I  have  spent  half  my  life  in  revolu 
tionary  countries,  and  I  know  the  horrors  of  civil 
war;  and  I  told  the  people  what  I  had  seen  and 
what  they  would  experience.  They  laughed  at 
me,  and  called  me  "granny,"  and  "croaker"; 
and  I  said,  "  I  cannot  live  here,  and  will  seek 
some  other  place  where  I  can  live."  I  suppose 
they  said  I  left  my  country  for  my  country's 
grood,  and  I  thank  God  I  did.'  " 

"A  countryman  to  be  proud  of,"  remarked 
Mr.  Lilburn. 


248  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"  Oh,  I  wish  I  could  have  seen  him !"  exclaimed 
Grace.  "Papa,  wasn't  he  a  Christian  man?" 

"I  think  so,  daughter,"  replied  the  captain. 
"He  is  said  to  have  had  a  strong  religious 
nature  and  a  firm  reliance  upon  Providence, 
believing  in  God's  constant  guidance." 

"Do  you  remember,"  said  Grandma  Elsie, 
"those  lines  of  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes'  written 
in  honor  of  Admiral  Farragut,  and  read  at  a 
iinner  given  him,  in  which  this  passage  occurs? 

"  Fast,  fast  are  lessening  in  the  light 

The  names  of  high  renown, 
Van  Tromp's  proud  besom  pales  from  sight, 
Old  Beribow's  half  hull  down. 

*'  Scarce  one  tall  frigate  walks  the  sea, 

Or  skirts  the  safer  shores, 
Of  all  that  bore  to  victory 
Our  stout  old  commodores. 

"  Hull,  Bainbridge,  Porter — where  are  they? 

The  answering  billows  roll, 
Still  bright  in  memory's  sunset  ray, 
God  rest  each  gallant  soul! 

"  A  brighter  name  must  dim  their  light, 

With  more  than  noontide  ray: 
The  Viking  of  the  river  fight, 
The  Conqueror  of  the  bay. 

"  I  give  the  name  that  fits  him  best- 
Ay,  better  than  his  own — 
The  Sea-King  of  the  sovereign  West, 
Who  made  his  mast  a  throne.'" 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  249 

"A  fine  poem  indeed,  and  with  a  subject 
Worthy  of  all  its  praise,"  remarked  Cousin  Ron 
ald,  as  Mrs.  Travilla  ceased.  "  No  wonder  you 
are  proud  of  him,  cousins,  for  he  was,  as  I  said 
a  moment  since,  one  to  be  proud  of;  I  should  be 
proud  indeed  of  him  were  he  a  countryman  of 
mine." 

"As  each  one  of  us — his  countrymen  and 
women — certainly  is,"  said  Mr.  Dinsmore. 

There  was  a  silence  of  a  few  moments,  pres 
ently  broken  by  the  captain. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "I  think  there  are  few,  if 
any,  of  his  countrymen,  who  are  not  proud  of 
our  grand  naval  hero,  Farragut;  and  there  were 
others  among  our  naval  heroes  of  that  day, 
almost,  if  not  quite,  as  worthy  of  our  affection 
ate  admiration.  Captain,  afterward  Admiral, 
Bailey,  for  instance,  who  was  second  in  com 
mand  at  the  taking  -»f  New  Orleans,  leading,  in 
the  Cvyuga,  the  right  column  of  the  fleet  of 
government  vessels  in  the  passage  of  Forts  St. 
Philip  and  Jackson,  the  capture  of  the  Chal- 
mette  batteries  and  the  city. 

"As  you  probably  remember,  he  passed  up 
ahead  of  the  fleet,  through  the  fire  of  the  forts, 
the  Confederate  vessels,  the  rams,  fire-rafts, 
blazing  cotton  bales,  and  dense  clouds  of  smoke, 
meeting  the  attacks  of  all  unaided. 

"  Also  it  was  he  who  was  sent  by  Farragut  in 
company  with  only  one  other  man,  Lieutenant 


250  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

George  H.  Perkins,  to  demand  the  surrender  of 
the  city,  the  taking  down  of  the  Confederate 
flag,  and  the  hoisting  in  its  stead  of  the  Stars 
and  Stripes. 

"It  certainly  required  no  small  amount  of 
courage  to  pass  through  those  city  streets  sur 
rounded  by  a  hooting,  yelling,  cursing  crowd, 
threatening  them  with  drawn  pistols  and  other 
weapons. 

"And  who  can  fail  to  admire  the  words  of 
Bailey,  in  his  official  report  of  the  victory:  'It 
was  a  contest  of  iron  hearts  in  wooden  ships 
against  iron-clads  with  iron  beaks — and  the 
iron  hearts  won?' 

"And  not  less  admirable  was  his  modest  be 
havior  at  a  dinner  given  him  at  the  Astor  House, 
when  called  upon  to  reply  to  the  toast  of  'The 
Navy.'" 

"Ah,  what  was  that,  siTV"  asked  Mr.  Lil- 
burn,  pricking  up  his  ears. 

"I  was  reading  an  account  of  it  only  the 
other  day,"  pursued  Captain  Raymond.  "The 
old  hero  straightened  himself  up,  and  began, 
'Mr.  President  and  gentlemen — hem — thank  ye.' 
Then  made  a  long  pause,  glancing  up  and  down 
the  table.  'Well,  I  suppose  you  want  to  hear 
about  that  New  Orleans  affair?'  he  continued. 
At  that  there  were  cries  of  'Yes!  yes!'  and  a 
great  stamping  of  feet.  So  Bailey  went  on; 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  251 

'Well,  d'ye  see,  this  was  the  way  of  it.  We  were 
lying  down  the  river  below  the  forts,  and  Farra- 
gut,  he — he  signalled  us  to  go  in  and  take  'em. 
Being  as  we  were  already  hove  short,  it  didn't 
take  much  time  to  get  under  way,  so  that  wasn't 
so  much  of  a  job  as  ye  seem  to  think.  And 
then  the  engineers,  they  ran  the  ships,  so  all  we 
had  to  do  was  to  blaze  away  when  we  got  up  to 
the  forts,  and  take  'em,  according  to  orders. 
That's  just  all  there  was  about  it. '  And  he  sat 
down  amid  thunders  of  applause." 

"  Ah  ha,  um  h'm,  ah  ha !  a  nice,  modest  fellow 
he  must  have  been,"  remarked  Cousin  Ronald, 
nodding  reflectively,  over  his  cane. 

The  call  to  tea  interrupted  the  conversation, 
but  on  leaving  the  table  all  gathered  upon  the 
deck  again  to  watch  the  sunset,  the  rising  of 
the  moon,  and  for  the  forts,  Morgan  and  Gaines, 
which  they  were  now  rapidly  nearing,  and  upon 
which  all  gazed  with  interest  as  the  captain 
pointed  them  out  and  the  vessel  steamed  slowly 
past. 

"Ah,  what  a  terrible  thing  is  war!"  sighed 
Grandma  Elsie.  "God  forbid  that  this  dear 
land  should  ever  again  be  visited  with  that 
fearful  scourge !" 

"Ah,  I  can  say  amen  to  that !"  Mrs.  Dinsmore 
exclaimed,  low  and  tremulously,  thinking  of 
the  dear  young  brothers  who  had  fallen  victims 


252  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

in  that  unnatural  strife.  "  We  cannot  be  thank 
ful  enough  for  the  peace  and  prosperity  that 
now  bless  our  native  land." 

"No;  and  may  it  ever  continue,"  added  her 
husband.  "Her  growth  and  prosperity  since 
that  fearful  struggle  ended  have  been  something 
wonderful. " 

A  few  moments  of  silence  followed,  the  vessel 
moving  swiftly  on  her  way,  and  a  gentle  breeze 
fanning  the  cheeks  of  her  passengers  as  they 
sat  there  placidly  gazing  out  over  the  moon 
lit  waters,  then  the  quiet  was  suddenly  broken 
in  upon  by  a  loud  guffaw,  followed  by  a  drunken 
shout. 

"Aint  I  fooled  ye  nice,  now?  Ye  didn't 
know  I  was  aboard,  capting,  nor  any  o'  the  rest 
o'  ye.  Ye  didn't  guess  ye'd  got  a  free  passen 
ger  aboard  'sides  that  old  Scotch  feller  a-settin' 
yander  a-looking  like  he  feels  hisself  as  good 
's  any  o'  the  rest,  ef  he  don't  pay  nothin'  fer  his 
trip." 

Everyone  started  and  turned  in  the  direction 
of  the  sounds. 

"  A  stowaway !"  exclaimed  Captain  Raymond. 
"The  voice  seems  to  come  from  the  hold.  Ex 
cuse  me,  ladies  and  gentlemen ;  I  must  see  to  his 
case,  and  that  we  are  secured  from  the  danger  of 
a  visit  from  him,  as  he  is  evidently  a  drunken 
wretch,"  and  with  the  words  he  hastened  away 
in  the  direction  of  the  sounds. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  25$ 

"Ha,  ha!  I  hear  ye,  capting!"  shouted  tht 
voice;  "but  drunken  wretch  or  not,  I  wouldn't 
harm  a  hair  o'  any  o'  yer  heads.  All  I'm  a-want- 
in'  is  a  free  passage  up  furder  north,  where  I 
come  from." 

"Oh,  mamma,  I'm  so  frightened!  so  'frai<l 
the  bad  man  will  hurt  my  dear  papa,"  cried 
little  Elsie,  clinging  to  her  mother,  while  tears 
filled  her  sweet  blue  eyes. 

"  No,  papa  will  whip  de  naughty  mans,"  said 
Ned,  shaking  his  baby  fist  in  the  direction  of 
the  sounds. 

"Ah  ha,  ah  ha,  um  h'm!  little  laddie;  I 
have  no  doubt  your  papa  is  bigger  and  stronger 
than  the  naughty  mans,"  said  Cousin  Ron 
ald,  "and  if  he  catches  the  good-for-nothing 
scamp,  can  whip  him  within  an  inch  of  his 
life." 

At  that  Walter  burst  into  a  laugh.  "  Now, 
Cousin  Ronald,"  he  said,  "I'd  not  be  a  bit  sur 
prised  to  learn  that  you  are  well  acquainted  with 
that  scamp.  However,  I'll  run  after  Brother 
Levis  to  see  the  fun,  if  there  is  any,  but  I'm 
sure  nobody  need  be  one  bit  afraid,"  and  with 
that  away  he  ran. 

"Ah,  Cousin  Ronald,"  began  Violet,  laugh 
ing,  the  others  joining  in  with  her,  and  all  en 
tirely  occupied  in  looking  at  the  old  gentleman, 
whose  face,  however,  could  be  but  indistinctly 
seen,  as  he  had  so  placed  himself  that  the  moon- 


254  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

light  did  not  fall  fully  upon  it,  "confess 
that " 

But  she  got  no  further.  A  shout  of  drunken 
laughter  from  the  other  side  of  the  vessel  again 
startled  them. 

"  Ha,  ha !  the  capting's  gone  in  the  wrong  di 
rection  to  catch  this  customer.  But  he  needn't 
to  hunt  me  up.  I'm  a  real  harmless  kind  o* 
ehap,  an'  wouldn't  hurt  a  hair  o'  any  o'  your 
heads." 

Again  every  head  was  turned  in  the  direction 
of  the  sounds,  but  seeing  no  one  they  all  burst 
into  gleeful  laughter,  in  which'the  captain'pres- 
ently  joined,  having  returned  from  his  bootless 
search,  fully  convinced  that  it  need  be  carried 
no  farther. 


CHAPTER  XVL 

IT  was  a  bright,  sweet  May  morning.  He* 
veille  sounded  at  the  Naval  Academy  at  Annapo- 
Jis,  and  with  the  first  tap  of  the  drum  Max  woke 
and  sprang  from  his  bed.  He  glanced  from  the 
window  as  he  hurried  on  his  clothes,  and  a  low 
exclamation  of  surprise  and  delight  burst  from 
his  lips. 

"What  now,- Raymond?"  queried  Hunt,  who 
was  dressing  with  equal  expedition. 

"  The  Dolphin!  the  Dolphin!"  cried  Max, 
in  a  joyful,  exultant  tone.  "  She  lies  at  anchor 
down  yonder,  and  I  haven't  a  doubt  that  I  shall 
see  my  father  and  all  the  rest  presently." 

" Possible?  What  a  fortunate  fellow  you  are, 
Raymond,"  returned  Hunt,  hurrying  to  the 
•window  to  take  a  hasty  peep.  *  Sure  enough ! 
and  what  a  beauty  she  is,  that  Dolphin !  and 
the  captain  will  be  here  presently  getting  you 
leave  to  spend  the  day  on  board ;  and  it  being 
Saturday,  and  he  and  the  commandant  old 
friends,  there'll  be  no  trouble  in  managing  it. 
Accept  my  most  hearty  congratulations,  old 
fellow." 

a  Thank  you,"  said  Max,  vainly  trying  to  supC 

255 


156  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

press  Ms  excitement,  for  his  affectionate,  boy 
ish  heart  was  bounding  with  joy  at  the  thought 
of  presently  seeing  all  his  loved  ones ;  most  of 
all,  the  father  who  was  to  him  the  personifica 
tion  of  all  that  was  good,  honorable,  brave, 
noble,  and  true;  the  father  to  whom,  he  knew 
beyond  a  doubt,  he  himself  was  an  object  of 
strong  parental  affection  and  pride. 

"And  it's  fortunate  for  you  that  I'm  the  fel 
low  to  set  the  room  to  rights  on  this  memorable 
occasion,"  continued  Hunt.  "I  say,  Raymond, 
I  think  you  must  have  been  born  under  a  lucky 
star." 

"Ah,  yes,  old  fellow,"  laughed  Max,  "I 
rather  suspect  that's  what's  the  matter.  But 
bark!  what's  that?"  as  approaching  footsteps 
were  heard  in  the  hall  without. 

A  rap  quickly  followed.  Max  flew  to  the 
door  and  threw  it  open,  to  find  a  messenger  there 
from  the  commandant  requiring  his  presence 
immediately  in  the  grounds  below. 

Little  doubting  what  awaited  him,  Max 
obeyed  the  summons  with  joyful  alacrity,  run 
ning  down  one  flight  of  stairs  after  another  till 
the  lowest  hall  was  reached,  then  out  into  the 
grounds,  sending  an  eagerly  inquiring  look 
from  side  to  side. 

Ah,  yes,  in  the  shade  of  a  tree,  yonder,  a  few 
yards  from  the  door-way,  stood  the  command 
ant  in  earnest  conversation  with  another  gen- 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  25T 

tleman,  not  in  uniform,  but  of  decidedly  sol 
dierly  bearing.  Max  recognized  the  face  and 
form  on  the  instant,  and  flew  to  meet  him. 

Both  gentlemen  turned  at  the  sound  of  the 
approaching  footsteps. 

Max  hastily  saluted  his  superior  officer,  say 
ing  half  breathlessly,  "I  am  here,  sir." 

"So  I  see,  Raymond,"  was  the  smiling  re 
joinder,  "and  for  the  present  I  resign  you  to 
this  gentleman's  care,"  turning  toward  the 
captain. 

Max's  hand  was  instantly  clasped  in  that  of 
his  father,  who  held  it  fast  and,  bending  down, 
kissed  his  son  with  ardent  affection,  saying, 
with  emotion,  and  in  low,  earnest  tones,  "  My 
boy,  my  dear,  dear  boy !" 

"  Papa,  papa !"  cried  Max,  his  voice,  too,  trem 
bling  with  feeling  and  excitement,  "I  never 
was  gladder  in  my  life !" 

"I  am  very  glad  for  you,  Max,"  said  the 
commandant,  in  kindly  sympathizing  tones. 
"  And  Raymond,  let  me  assure  you  that  the  lad 
is  worthy  of  every  indulgence  that  could  be 
afforded  him;  a  more  industrious  or  oetter  be 
haved  cadet  I  have  never  had  under  my  care. 
Hoping  to  see  you  again  in  the  course  of  the 
day,  I  bid  you  good-morning.  You  also,  Max,"  , 
and  with  a  bow  and  smile  he  left  father  and  son 
alone  together. 

"So  good  a  report  of  his  eldest  son  makes 


258  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

your  father  a  very  happy  man,  Max,"  the  cap 
tain  said,  pressing  the  hand  he  held,  and  gazing 
into  the  rosy,  boyish  face  with  eyes  brimful 
of  fatherly  love  and  pride. 

"Thank  you  for  saying  it,  papa,"  returned 
Max,  flushing  with  joy;  "but  with  such  a 
father  I  ought  to  be  a  better  and  brighter  boy 
than  I  am.  But  I  do  try,  papa,  and  I  mean 
always  to  try  to  honor  you  by  being  and  doing 
all  I  know  you  would  wish." 

"I  haven't  a  doubt  of  it,  my  son,"  the  cap 
tain  said,  again  affectionately  pressing  the  lad's 
hand,  then  letting  it  go;  "but  now  I  must  re 
turn  to  the  Dolphin,  taking  my  eldest  son  with 
me  if  he  wishes  me  to  do  so." 

"Yes,  indeed,  papa!"  cried  the  boy,  ready  to 
dance  with  delight;  "but  may  I  go  back  to  my 
room  for  a  moment  first?  I'm  afraid  that  in  my 
hurry  to  obey  the  summons  of  the  commandant, 
I  haven't  left  everything  quite  in  ship  shape." 

"Yes,  go,  son,"  replied  his  father;  "and  if 
your  morning  devotions  have  not  been  attended 
to,  do  not  neglect  them  any  longer.  I  will  wait 
for  you  here  under  the  trees.  By  the  way,  I 
am  to  hear  your  recitations  for  this  morning,  so 
you  may  bring  the  needed  books  with  you." 

"Yes,  sir,"  returned  Max,  and  hurried  away, 
his  father  looking  after  him  with  proudly  beam 
ing  eyes  till  the  lithe,  graceful  young  figure 
disappeared  within  the  door-way,  then  taking  a 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  259 

morning  paper  from  his  pocket,  he  seated  him 
self  on  a  bench  beneath  a  tree  to  await  the  lad's 
return. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait ;  in  a  few  minutes 
Max  was  again  at  his  side,  and  the  two  were 
wending  their  way  toward  the  row-boat  that 
was  to  take  them  to  the  Dolphin,  anchored  some 
distance  out  in  the  stream. 

All  was  so  still  and  quiet  in  and  about  the 
vessel  that  morning  that  her  passengers  slept 
later  than  usual,  but  Lulu,  as  generally  hap 
pened,  was  one  of  the  earliest  risers,  and  had 
not  been  up  long  before  she  hastened  to  the 
deck  to  exchange  the  accustomed  morning 
greeting  with  her  father.  But,  to  her  surprise 
and  disappointment,  a  hasty  glance  about  the 
deck  showed  her  that  he  was  not  there. 

"Why,  what  is  the  matter?"  she  said  to  her 
self.  "I'm  afraid  papa  must  be  sick,  for  I  do 
not  know  what  else  would  keep  him  in  his  state 
room  till  this  time  of  day.  But,"  with  another 
sweeping  glance  from  side  to  side,  "we're 
certainly  anchored;  and  where?  Why,  it  looks 
like — yes,  it  is  Annapolis!"  hearing  the  splash 
of  oars  and  catching  sight  of  a  row-boat  with 
several  persons  in  it,  "  for  there's  papa,  and  Max 
with  him.  Oh,  oh,  oh,  how  glad  I  am !"  and 
with  the  words  she  ran  to  the  side  of  the  vessel 
and  the  next  minute  was  in  Max's  arms. 

It  was  a  very  hearty  embrace  on  the  part  of 


*«0  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

both,  their  father  standing  by  and  watching 
them  with  shining  eyes. 

"  O  Maxie,  how  you  have  grown !"  exclaimed 
Lulu,  gently  withdrawing  herself  from  his  em 
brace  and  scanning  him  with  keen  scrutiny 
from  head  to  foot ;  "  you  look  every  inch  a  naval 
cadet." 

"Do  I?"  he  queried  laughingly.  "Thank 
you,  for  I  consider  it  a  decided  compliment. 
And  you  too  have  changed ;  you  are  taller,  and 
look  more  than  ever  like  papa." 

**O  Max,  you  could  not  say  anything  that 
"Would  please  me  better  than  that,"  she  ex 
claimed,  flushing  with  pleasure ;  "  and  I  can  re 
turn  the  compliment  with  interest.  I  think  you 
will  look  exactly  like  our  dear  father  when  you 
are  his  age,"  turning  toward  the  captain,  and 
lifting  her  eyes  to  his  full  of  ardent  filial  affec 
tion  ;  for  he  was  standing  there  regarding  both 
with  fatherly  tenderness,  and  pride  in  their 
youthful  comeliness  of  form  and  feature. 

"My  dear,  dear  children !"  he  said,  bending 
down  to  give  Lulu  the  usual  morning  caress, 
"your  mutual  love  makes  me  very  happy.  May 
it  never  be  less  than  it  is  now !" 

At  that  moment  Violet,  Grace,  and  the  two 
little  ones  joined  them,  and  more  hearty,  loving 
embraces  followed,  all,  except  Violet,  being  as 
much  taken  by  surprise  at  the  sight  of  Max  as 
Lulu  had  been. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  261 

Grace  almost  cried  with  joy  as  Max  caught 
her  in  his  arms  and  hugged  her  close,  kissing 
her  sweet  lips  again  and  again. 

"I  doubt,"  he  said  laughingly,  as  he  let  her 
go,  "  if  there  is  another  fellow  at  the  Academy 
who  has  such  sisters  as  mine,  or  such  a  young, 
pretty  mamma,  or  darling  baby  brother  and  sis 
ter,"  kissing  each  in  turn;  "and,"  looking  up 
into  his  father's  face,  a  telltale  moisture  gath 
ering  in  his  eyes,  "I'm  perfectly  certain  there's 
not  one  can  show  a  father  to  be  so  proud 
of." 

"Ah,  my  dear  boy,  Love  is  blind  to  defects 
and  very  keen-sighted  as  regards  good  and  ad 
mirable  qualities  in  those  she  favors,"  was  the 
Captain's  answering  remark. 

"  "What  a  surprise  you  have  given  us,  papa !" 
exclaimed  Lulu;  "me  at  least,  for  I  hadn't  the 
least  idea  we  were  coming  here." 

"No,  but  some  of  the  rest  of  us  knew,"  said 
Violet,  with  a  merry  little  laugh ;  "  your  father 
told  me  of  his  intentions  last  night — as  a  secret, 
however,  for  he  wanted  to  give  you  and  Gracie 
a  pleasant  surprise." 

"And It  was  certainly  a  pleasant  one  to  me," 
•said'Max.  "Papa,  thank  you  ever  so  much." 

"  Did  you  get  leave  for  him  to  stay  all  day, 
papa?"  asked  Lulu  in  a  tone  that  seemed  to 
say  she  hoped  so  with  all  her  heart. 

"He  will  be  with  us  through  the  day,  except 


262  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

during  the  two  hours  of  drill,  which  we  will 
all  go  to  see;  also  all  day  to-morrow,"  was  the 
captain's  reply  to  that,  and  it  seemed  to  give 
pleasure  to  all  who  heard  it :  all  the  passengers  on 
board,  for  by  that  time  the  others  had  come  up 
to  the  deck,  and  one  after  another  gave  Max  a 
pleased  and  hearty  greeting — the  older  people 
as  one  they  had  expected  to  see,  th«  younger 
with  joyful  surprise.  They  gathered  about  him, 
some  of  them — Walter  in  especial — with  many 
questions  in  regard  to  the  daily  routine  of  life 
at  the  Academy,  all  of  which  Max  answered 
readily  and  to  the  best  of  his  ability. 

"Haven't  you  lessons  to  say  to-day?"  queried 
Walter. 

"Yes,  but  I'm  to  recite  them  to  papa,"  Max 
replied,  with  a  pleased,  smiling  glance  into 
his  father's  face. 

"You  may  well  look  pleased,  Max,  for  he's 
an  excellent  teacher,  as  all  his  Viamede  pupils 
can  testify,"  remarked  Rosie  demurely. 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  remember  now  that  he  has  been 
teaching  you  all  while  you  were  down  there," 
said  Max.  "  Well,  I  never  saw  a  better  teacher, 
though  perhaps,  being  his  son  and  very  fond  of 
him,  it's  possible  I  may  be  a  partial  judge." 

"Quite  possible,  my  boy,"  laughed  his  father, 
"and  I  think  no  one  of  my  pupils  is  disposed 
to  view  me  with  a  critic's  eye." 

"  You  need  not  say  the  reet  of  it,  papa,"  said 


ELSIE  AT  VIAJIEDE.  263 

Lain,  "for  I'm  sure  you  haven't  any  imperfec 
tions  to  be  passed  by." 

"Quite  right,  Lu,"  laughed  Violet. 

But  at  that  moment  came  the  call  to  break 
fast,  a  summons  everyone  was  ready  to  obey 
•with  alacrity.  They  had  a  pleasant,  social 
time  about  the  table;  the  fare  was  excellent, 
appetites  were  of  the  best,  and  everyone  was 
in  fine  spirits  and  high  good-humor. 

Max  was  called  upon  to  answer  so  many 
questions  with  regard  to  life  at  the  Naval  Acad 
emy,  and  his  replies  were  listened  to  with  so 
much  deference,  that  the  captain  began  to  fear  his 
boy  might  become  insufferably  conceited.  Dis 
turbed  by  that  fear,  he  watched  him  so  closely 
and  with  so  grave  an  air  that  at  length  Max 
noticed  it,  and  was  much  disturbed  with  the  fear 
that  he  had  unwittingly  done  or  said  something 
to  hurt  or  displease  his  dearly  loved  father. 

He  took  the  first  opportunity — following  the 
captain  about  the  vessel,  after  breakfast  and 
family  prayers  were  over,  till  they  found  them 
selves  alone  together  for  a  moment — to  inquire, 
in  a  tone  of  much  concern,  if  it  were  so. 

"  No,  my  son,  not  at  all,"  was  the  kindly  reply, 
"but  I  felt  a  little  anxious  lest  my  boy  should  be 
spoiled  and  made  conceited  by  being  applied  to 
by  older  people  for  so  much  information." 

"  I  hope  not,  papa ;  I  know  very  well  it  was 
only  because  I've  been  living  there  and  they 

S 


264  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

haven't ;  and  that  every  one  of  them  knows  far 
more  than  I  do  about  many  another  thing." 

"Quite  true,  my  son,"  the  captain  said, 
with  a  smile,  adding,  "and  now  you  may  get 
out  your  books  and  look  over  those  lessons,  as 
I  shall  soon  be  ready  to  hear  them." 

"Yes,  sir;  it  will  be  really  a  great  treat  to 
recite  to  my  old  tutor  once  more,"  returned  the 
lad,  with  a  look  of  relief  and  pleasure.  "  I  am 
very  glad  indeed  that  he  is  not  displeased  with 
me  as  I  feared." 

"Very  far  from  it,  my  dear  boy,"  was  the 
captain's  kindly  rejoinder;  " the  account  given 
me  to-day  by  the  commandant,  of  your  conduct 
and  attention  to  your  studies,  was  most  gratify 
ing  to  my  pride  in  my  eldest  son." 

Those  words,  and  also  the  warm  praise  be 
stowed  upon  his  recitations  when  they  had  been 
heard,  filled  the  boy's  heart  with  happiness. 
His  father  returned  to  the  Academy  with  him  at 
the  hour  for  drill,  but  the  others  witnessed  it 
from  the  deck  of  the  Dolphin.  At  its  conclusion, 
Captain  Raymond  and  his  son  returned  to  the 
yacht,  Max  having  permission  to  remain  there 
until  near  ten  o'clock  on  Sunday  night. 

A  trip  up  the  river  had  been  planned  for  the 
afternoon,  and  anchor  was  weighed  and  the 
yacht  started  as  soon  as  her  commander  and  his 
son  had  come  aboard. 

All  were  seated  upon  the  deck  under  an  awn- 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  263 

ing,  "greatly  enjoying  a  delicious  breeze,  the 
dancing  and  sparkling  of  the  water,  and  the  dis 
tant  view  of  the  shore  arrayed  in  the  lovely 
verdure  of  spring. 

Mrs.  Dinsmore,  Mrs.  Travilla,  and  Mrs. 
Raymond  sat  together,  busy  with  fancy  work 
and  chatting  cheerily,  while  the  younger  ones 
had  their  drawing  materials  or  books — except 
Grace,  who  was  dressing  a  doll  for  little  Elsie. 
Few  -of  them,  however,  were  accomplishing  a 
great  deal,  there  being  so  small  necessity  for  the 
employment  and  so  many  things  to  withdraw 
their  attention  from  it. 

Max  speedily  made  his  way  to  Mrs.  Travilla'8 
side.  She  looked  up  from  her  work,  and  greeted 
him  with  her  sweet  smile.  "It  is  quite  delight 
ful  to  have  you  among  us  again,  my  dear  boy," 
she  said,  taking  his  hand  and  pressing  it  affec 
tionately  in  hers. 

"Thank  you,  dear  Grandma  Elsie,"  he  re 
turned,  his  eyes  sparkling;  "  it  is  a  great  pleasure 
to  hear  you  say  so,  though  I  don't  know  how 
to  believe  that  you  can  enjoy  it  half  so  much  as 
I  do." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  that  you  do,  laddie,"  she 
said  brightly.  "Now  suppose  we  have  a  bit  of 
chat  together.  Take  that  camp  chair  by  youl 
grandmother's  side  and  tell  her  how  you  enjoy 
that  artillery  exercise  you  have  just  been  going 
through." 


266  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"Thank  you,  ma'am,"  said  Max  laughingly, 
as  he  took  the  seat  indicated.  "  It's  really  de 
lightful  to  be  treated  as  a  relative  by  so  dear 
and  sweet  a  lady,  but  you  do  look  so  young  that 
it  seems  almost  ridiculous  for  a  great  fellow  like 
me  to  call  you  grandma." 

"  Does  it?  Why,  your  father  calls  me  mother, 
and  to  be  so  related  to  him  surely  must  make 
me  your  grandmother." 

"  But  you  are  not  really  old  enough  to  be  his 
mother,  and  I  am  his  oldest  child." 

"And  begin  to  feel  yourself  something  of 
a  man,  since  you  are  not  called  Max,  but  Mr. 
Raymond  at  the  Academy  yonder?"  she  re 
turned  in  a  playfully  interrogative  tone. 

Max  seemed  to  consider  a  moment,  then  smil 
ing,  but  blushing  vividly,  "  I'm  afraid  I  must 
plead  guilty  to  that  charge,  Grandma  Elsie,"  he 
said  with  some  hesitation. 

"What  is  that,  Max?"  asked  his  father, 
drawing  near  just  in  time  to  catch  the  last 
•words. 

"  That  I  begin  to  feel  that— as  if  I'm  a— at 
least  almost — a  man,  sir,"  answered  the  lad, 
Btammering  and  coloring  with  mortification. 

"  Ah,  that's  not  so  very  bad,  my  boy,"  laughed 
his  father.  "  I  believe  that  at  your  age  I  was 
more  certain  of  being  one  than  you  are — really 
feeling  rather  more  fully  convinced  of  my  wis 
dom  and  consequence  than  I  am  now.** 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  267 

"Were  you  indeed,  papa?  then  there  is  hope 
for  me,"  returned  the  lad,  with  a  pleased  look. 
"  I  was  really  afraid  you  would  think  me  abomi 
nably  conceited." 

"  No,  dear  boy,  none  of  us  think  you  that,"  said 
Mrs.  Travilla,  again  smiling  sweetly  upon  him. 
"  But  you  have  not  yet  answered  my  query  as  to 
how  you  enjoyed  the  artillery  exercise  we  have 
just  seen  you  go  through." 

"  Oh,  I  like  it !"  returned  Max,  his  eyes  spark 
ling.  "And  I  don't  think  I  shall  ever  regret 
my  choice  of  a  profession  if  I  succeed  in  passing, 
and  become  as  good  an  officer  as  my  father  has 
been,"  looking  up  into  the  captain's  face  with 
a  smile  full  of  affection  and  proud  appreciation. 

"  Now  I  fear  my  boy  is  talking  of  something 
that  he  knows  very  little  about,"  said  the  cap 
tain,  a  twinkle  of  fun  in  his  eye.  "Who  told 
you,  Max,  that  your  father  had  been  a  good 
officer?" 

"My  commandant,  sir,  who  knows  all  about 
it,  or  at  least  thinks  he  does." 

At  that  instant  there  was  a  sound  like  the 
splashing  of  oars  on  the  farther  side  of  the 
vessel,  and  a  boyish  voice  called  out,  "Ahoy 
there,  Raymond!  A  message  from  the  com 
mandant  !" 

"Oh,  1  hope  it  isn't  to  call  you  back,  Maxie!" 
exclaimed  Lulu,  springing  up  and  following 
Max  and  her  father  as  they  hastened  to  that  side 


268  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

of  the  vessel,  expecting  to  see  a  row-boat  there 
with  a  messenger  from  the  Academy. 

But  no  boat  of  that  kind  was  in  sight.  Could 
it  have  pass  3d  around  the  vessel?  Max  hurried 
to  the  other  side  to  make  sure,^but  no  boat  was 
there. 

"Oh!"  he  exclaimed,  with  a  merry  laugh,  "it 
was  Mr.  Lilburn,"  and  he  turned  a  smiling, 
amused  face  toward  the  old  gentleman,  who  had 
followed,  and  now  stood  close  at  his  side. 

"Eh,  laddie!  what  was  Mr.  Lilburn?"  quer 
ied  the  accused.  "That  I'm  no  down  there 
in  a  boat  is  surely  evident  to  all  who  can  see 
me  standing  here.  Are  ye  no  ashamed  to  so 
falsely  accuse  an  auld  friend  who  wad  never  do 
harm  to  you  or  yours?" 

Then  a  voice  seemed  to  come  from  a  distant 
part  of  the  vessel.  "Ah,  sir,  ye  ken  that  ye're 
known  to  be  up  to  such  tricks.  All  only  to 
make  fun  for  your  friends,  though,  not  to  cause 
fright  or  harm  to  anyone — unless  it  might  be  a 
gambler  or  some  other  rascal." 

"Hear that,  now,  cousin!"  cried  Mr.  Lilburn. 
"  Somebody  seems  ready  to  do  justice  to  the 
auld  man  our  fine  young  cadet  here  is  so  ready 
to  suspect  and  accuse. " 

By  this  time  all  the  other  passengers  had 
joined  them,  everybody  but  the  very  little  ones 
understood  the  joke,  and  it  was  received  with 
merry  peals  of  laughter. 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  269 

To  Max  the  afternoon  and  evening  seemed  to 
pass  very  quickly,  so  delightful  was  it  to  be  once 
more  surrounded  by  his  dear  ones,  not  the  least 
pleasant  part  being  a  half  hour  spent  alone  with 
his  father  after  the  others  had  retired ;  he  had 
so  many  little  confidences  that  he  would  not 
willingly  have  shared  with  anyone  else,  and. 
they  were  heard  with  so  much  evident  interest, 
such  hearty  sympathy,  and  replied  to  with  such 
good  and  kindly  advice.  Max  was  even  more 
firmly  convinced  than  ever  before  that  such  an 
other  dear,  kind,  and  lovable  father  as  his  was- 
nowhere  to  be  found. 

And,  by  the  way,  the  captain  was  almost 
equally  sure  that  no  other  man  had  a  son  quite 
so  bright,  handsome,  intelligent,  noble,  indus 
trious,  and  in  every  way  worthy  to  be  the  pride 
of  his  father's  heart,  as  this  dear  lad  who  was 
his  own. 

"God,  even  the  God  of  his  fathers,  keep  my 
dear  boy  in  every  hour  of  trial  and  temptation, 
and  help  him  to  walk  steadily  in  the  strait  and 
narrow  way  that  leads  to  everlasting  life,"  he 
said  with  emotion  when  bidding  his  son  good 
night.  "Keep  close  to  the  dear  Master,  my  son, 
ever  striving  to  serve  and  honor  him  in  all  your 
words  and  ways,  and  all  will  be  well  with  you 
at  the  last." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  captain,  Max,  and  Lulu  were  all  three 
early  on  deck  the  next  morning — as  lovely  a 
May  morning  as  ever  was  seen.  The  sun  had 
but  just  showed  his  face  above  the  horizon  when 
Lulu  mounted  the  companion-way  to  the  deck, 
but  she  found  her  father  and  brother  already 
there,  sitting  side  by  side,  both  looking  very 
happy  and  content. 

"Good-morning,  papa  and  Max,"  she  said, 
hurrying  toward  them. 

The  salutation  was  returned  by  both  in  cheery, 
pleasant  tones. 

"I  thought  I'd  be  the  very  first  on  deck; 
but  here  you  both  are  before  me,"  she  added  as 
she  gained  her  father's  side. 

"But  pleased  to  have  you  join  us,"  he  said, 
drawing  her  to  a  seat  upon  his  knee.  "A  sweet 
Sabbath  morning,  is  it  not?  And  how  did  my 
little  girl  sleep?" 

"As  well  as  possible,  thank  you,  papa.  It  is 
much  cooler  here  than  at  Viamede  now,  and  a 
delightful  breeze  came  in  at  the  window.  But 
I  almost  always  sleep  well,  and  that  is  something 
to  be  thankful  for,  isn't  it?" 
•I 


ELSIE  AT  VTAMEDE.  271 

"It  is,  indeed,"  he  responded.  "May  my  dear 
eldest  daughter  never  be  kept  awake  by  the  re 
proaches  of  a  guilty  conscience,  cares  and  anx 
ieties,  or  physical  distress;  though  that  last  I 
can  hardly  hope  she  will  escape  always  until  she 
reaches  that  blessed  land  where  'the  inhabitant 
shall  not  say,  I  am  sick.'  ' 

"Yes,  sir,"  she  said,  "I  ought  to  be  very 
thankful  that  I  am  so  healthy;  I  hope  I  am; 
but  any  kind  of  physical  pain  I  have  ever  been 
tried  with  is  far  easier  for  me  to  bear  than  the 
reproaches  of  a  guilty  conscience.  I  can  never 
forget  how  hard  they  were  to  endure  after  I  had 
hurt  dear  little  Elsie  so  because  I  was  in  a 
passion." 

"I  can't  bear  to  think  of  that  time,"  said 
Max;  "so  let  us  talk  of  something  else.  The 
view  here  is  lovely,  is  it  not,  papa?" 

"Oh,"  cried  Lu  in  surprise,  ";we  are  at 
anchor  again  in  the  river  at  Annapolis,  aren't 
we,  papa?" 

"Yes;  I  brought  you  all  back  here  in  the 
night,  to  spend  the  Sabbath.  I  think  we  will 
go  into  the  city  to  church  this  morning,  and 
have  some  religious  exercises  on  the  vessel  this 
afternoon  and  evening." 

"Oh,  I  like  that  plan,  papa,"  said  Max,  "es 
pecially  the  afternoon  part,  for  I  am  really  hun 
gry  for  one  of  those  interesting  Bible  lessons 
with  you  for  my  teacher." 


272  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"Yes,  Maxie,  I  pity  you  that  you  can't  share 
them  with  Gracie  and  me  every  Sunday,"  said 
Lulu.  "Papa,  won't  you  give  us — Max  and 
Gracie  and  me — a  private  Bible  lesson  all  to  our 
selves  after  the  service  for  the  grown  /  folks, 
sailors  and  all,  has  been  held,  just  as  you  used 
to  do  when  we  were  all  at  home  at  "Woodburn?" 

"Quite  willingly,  if  my  children  wish  it;  in 
deed,  it  is  what  I  had  contemplated  doing,"  re 
plied  the  captain;  "for  we  cannot  better  em 
ploy  the  hours  of  the  holy  Sabbath  than  in  the 
study  of  God's  Word,  which  he  has  given  us  to 
be  a  'lamp  to  our  feet  and  a  light  to  our  path* 
that  we  may  journey  safely  to  that  happy  land 
where  sin  and  sorrow  are  unknown. 

"Never  forget,  my  children,  that  we  are  but 
etrangers  and  pilgrims  upon  this  earth,  only 
passing  through  it  on  our  way  to  an  eternal  home 
of  either  everlasting  blessedness  or  never  ending 
woe — a  home  where  all  is  holiness,  joy,  peace, 
and  love,  or  to  that  other  world  of  unending 
remorse  and  anguish,  'the  blackness  of  dark 
ness  forever.'  " 

"It  is  very  difficult  to  keep  that  always  in 
mind,  papa,"  said  Max.  "I  hope  you  will  often 
ask  God  to  help  us — me  especially — to  re 
member  it  constantly,  and  live,  not  for  time, 
but  for  eternity." 

"I  do,  my  dear  boy;  there  is  never  a  day 
when  I  do  not  ask  my  heavenly  Father  to  guard 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  273 

and  guide  each  one  of  my  dear  children  and  give 
them  a  home  with  him  at  last.  But  we  must  all 
strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate,  remember 
ing  the  warning  of  Jesus,  'Strait  is  the  gate, 
and  narrow  is  the  way,  which  leadeth  unto 
life,  and  few  there  be  that  find  it.'  " 

Violet  joined  them  at  that  moment,  then  the 
rest  of  the  party,  one  after  another.  Then 
came  the  call  to  breakfast ;  and  soon  after  leav 
ing  the  table,  and  the  holding  of  the  regular 
morning  service  on  the  vessel,  nearly  everyone 
went  ashore  and  to  church. 

At  the  close  of  the  exercises  there,  they  re 
turned  to  the  Dolphin,  dined,  a  little  later  as 
sembled  under  the  awning  on  the  deck,  and  being 
presently  joined  by  the  greater  part  of  the  crew, 
another  short  service,  consisting  of  the  reading 
of  the  Scriptures,  with  explanatory  remarks,, 
prayer,  and  the  singing  of  hymns,  followed. 

After  that,  the  captain  took  his  three  older 
children  aside  and  gave  them,  as  in  the  dear  old 
times  at  Woodburn,  a  Bible  lesson,  in  which  they 
were  free  to  ask  of  him  as  many  questions  as 
they  would. 

"Papa,"  said  Grace,  "I  was  reading  in 
Isaiah  this  morning  this  verse,  'Therefore,  thus 
saith  the  Lord  God,  Behold  I  lay  in  Zion  for 
a  foundation,  a  stone,  a  tried  stone,  a  precious, 
corner-stone,  a  sure  foundation.'  Does  it  mean 
the  dear  Lord  Jesus,  papa?" 


274  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"Yes,  d.  ughtei ;  in  both  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  Chrisl  Jesus  is  called  a  Foundation. 
The  founda  ion  of  a,  building  is  the  part  that  sup 
ports  all  the  rest ;  and  that  Jesus  is  to  all  his 
Church,  his  people.  He  is  the  foundation  of  all 
the  comforts,  hopes,  happiness  of  the  Christian ; 
the  foundation  of  the  covenant  God  has  made 
with  his  Church ;  the  foundation  of  all  the  sweet 
and  precious  promises  of  God's  Word;  a  sure 
foundation  on  which  his  people  may  securely 
rest,  knowing  that  he  will  never  deceive,  fail,  or 
forsake  anyone  who  trusts  in  him.  He  is  the 
only  Saviour,  the  head  of  the  Church,  the  only 
Mediator  between  God  and  man. 

"  We  are  not  to  look  too  much  to  our  feelings, 
doings,  prayers,  or  even  our  faith,  but  on  the 
finished  work  of  Christ.  We  can  have  assur 
ance  of  hope,  but  must  attain  to  it  by  resting 
upon  God's  word  of  promise,  remembering  that 
it  is  Christ's  righteousness  which  God  accepts, 
not  ours,  so  imperfect,  so  unworthy  of  men 
tion. 

"In  that  way  only  can  we  have  peace  and 
safety,  for  our  own  righteousness  is  but  as  filthy 
rags,  exceedingly  offensive  in  the  sight  of  God, 
who  is  'of  purer  eyes  than  to  behold  sin,  and  can 
not  look  upon  iniquity,'  so  utterly  abhorrent  is  it 
to  his  holy  nature. 

"The  Bible  tells  us,  'He  that  believeth  on  the 
Son  hath  everlasting  life ;  he  that  believeth  not 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  275 

the  Son  shall  not  see  life ;  but  the  wrath  of  God 
abideth  on  him.'  " 

"Papa,"  said  Grace,  low  and  feelingly, 
"those  are  dreadful  w<~ds,  'the  wrath'of  God 
abideth  on  him.'  " 

"They are  indeed, "he  said.  "Theone great 
question  is,  'Do  you  believe  on  the  Son  of  God?' 
There  in  Egypt,  when  God  sent  those  plagues 
upon  Pharaoh  and  his  people,  it  was  not  the 
feelings  of  the  Israelites  that  saved  them,  but 
the  blood  on  the  door-posts,  symbolizing  the 
blood  of  Christ,  which  would  in  future  ages  be 
offered  to  satisfy  the  demands  of  God's  broken 
law ;  and  it  was  when  he  saw  that  blood  that  the 
angel  passed  over,  harming  them  not. 

"The  Jscape-goat  too,  was  a  type  of  Christ 
bearing  the  sins  of  the  people  away  into  the 
wilderness;  if  our  sins  are  laid  on  Jesus  they 
will  come  no  more  into  remembrance  before  our 
righteous  Judge,  but  covered  with  the  beautiful 
robe  of  his  righteousness,  God  will  treat  us  as 
if  it  were  our  very  own.  Ah,  my  beloved  chil 
dren,  it  is  the  dearest  wish  of  your  father's 
heart  that  each  one  of  you  may  have  that  right 
eousness  put  upon  you!" 

A  slight  pause ;  then  Grace  said  in  low,  clear, 
and  joyous  tones,  "Papa,  I  think  we  have.  I 
feel  that  I  do  love  Jesus  and  trust  in  him,  and 
so  do  Max  and  Lulu,  I  believe." 

"I  do,"  said  Max  with  feeling.     "I  know  I 


276  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

am  very,  very  far  from  perfect,  but  I  do  desire 
above  everything  else  to  be  a  follower  of  Jesus, 
and  known  as  such ;  to  live  near  him,  and  honor 
him  in  all  my  words  a:  d  ways." 

"My  boy,  nothing  could  have  made  me  hap 
pier  than  that  confession  from  your  lips,"  his 
father  said  with  emotion.  "And  it  is  no  less  a 
joy  of  heart  to  me  to  know  that  my  dear  little 
Grace  is  a  follower  of  Jesus."  He  drew  her 
nearer  as  he  spoke,  then  turned  loving,  ques 
tioning  eyes  upon  Lulu. 

"Papa,"  she  said  in  tremulous  tones,  "I — I 
feel  that  I  am  not  worthy  to  be  called  one  of 
Jesus'  disciples,  but  I  do  love  him,  and  long  to 
grow  in  likeness  to  him.  I  do  ask  him  very, 
very  often  to  take  away  all  the  evil  that  is  in 
me,  and  make  me  just  what  he  would  have  me 
to  be." 

"And  he  will  hear  your  prayer,  he  will  grant 
your  petition,"  her  father  replied  in  moved 
tones.  "Oh,  my  dear  children,  your  father's 
heart  is  full  of  thankfulness  that  he  has  reason 
to  hope  and  believe  that  you  are  all  true  followers 
of  the  blessed  Master,  and  that  we  may  all  live 
and  love  together,  not  in  this  world  only,  but 
also  in  the  next." 

To  Max  that  delightful  day  and  evening 
seemed  very  short.  He  was  surprised  when  his 
father,  glancing  at  his  watch,  said,  "It  is  half 
past  nine,  my  son.  Say  good-night  and  good' 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  277 

by  to  your  friends  here,  for  we  must  go  back 
to  the  Academy.  It  need  not  be  a  very  sad 
parting,"  he  added,  with  a  smile,  "as  you  may 
expect  to  see  some,  if  not  all,  of  us  next  month, 
at  the  time  of  the  commencement  exercises." 

"Thank'you,  papa;  that  is  good  news,"  said 
the  lad,  his  countenance  brightening  very  much, 
"for  it  is  the  greatest  treat  to  a  fellow  to  see 
home  folks  once  in  a  while." 

"I  know  that,  my  boy.  I  haven't  forgotten 
the  feelings  of  a  cadet,  which  are  pretty  much 
like  those  of  other  lads." 

The  farewells  were  quickly  spoken,  father 
and  son  entered  the  waiting  row-boat,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  were  at  the  Academy. 

Captain  Raymond  bade  his  son  good-by  at  the 
door,  reminding  him  in  cheerful  tones  that  *he 
might  hope  to  see  him,  and  perhaps  the  entire 
Woodburn  family,  again  in  a  few  weeks. 

With  that  pleasant  prospect  in  view,  Max 
•went  to  his  room  in  excellent  spirits.  He  found 
Hunt  already  there. 

"Hello,  Max!  glad  to  see  you  back  again," 
he  exclaimed  in  a  tone  of  hearty  good-will. 
"'Had  a  royal  time  of  it,  I  suppose?" 

"Delightful!"  cried  Max  gayly;  "and  the 
best  of  it  is  that  my  father  holds  out  the  pros 
pect  of  another  visit  from  our  whole  family  at 
the  time  of  the  June  commencement,  which 
you  know  is  not  so  very  far  off." 


278  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

1  '"Well,  I  must  say  you're  a  lucky  dog,  Ray 
mond,"  returned  Hunt.  "I  wish  I  had  the 
same  prospect  of  seeing  my  folks ;  but  they're 
too  far  off,  and  money's  too  scarce." 

Violet  was  alone  on  deck  when  her  husband 
returned  to  the  yacht,  the  others  having  retired 
to  the  cabin  or  their  state-rooms. 

"Waiting  for  me,  love?"  he  asked,  as  he 
stepped  to  her  side  and  passed  an  arm  round  her 
waist. 

"Yes,"  she  said;  "the  air  is  so  pleasant  here, 
and  I  thought  it  would  be  really  delightful  for 
us  two  to  have  the  deck  entirely  to  ourselves 
for  a  while." 

"Nothing  could  be  pleasanter  to  me,  dear 
est,"  he  said,  giving  her  his  arm  and  beginning 
a  leisurely  promenade. 

"And  you  have  left  Max  at  the  Academy 
again?"  she  said  interrogatively.  "How 
manly  he  grows,  the  dear  fellow !  and  so  hand 
some;  he's  a  son  to  be  proud  of,  Levis." 

"So  his  father  thinks,"  returned  the  captain, 
with  a  low,  happy  little  laugh.  "My  dear  boy 
is  one  of  God's  good  gifts  to  me." 

"And  how  evidently  he  admires  and  loves  his 
father — as  he  well  may,  I  think.  He  grows  more 
and  more  like  you  in  looks,  too,  Levis.  I  can 
imagine  that  at  his  age  you  were  just  what  he 
is  now." 

"No,  my  dear;  if  I  am  not  much  mistaken 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  279 

he  is  both  a  handsomer  and  a  better  lad  than 
his  father  was  at  the  same  age." 

"Doubtless  not  half  so  conceited  and  vain  as 
his  father  was  then  or  is  now,"  she  returned, 
with  her  low,  sweet  silvery  laugh.  "There 
must  have  been  a  vast  improvement,  however, 
before  I  had  the  happiness  of  making  his  ac 
quaintance." 

"Max's?"  he  queried  with  mock  gravity. 

"The  acquaintance  of  Max's  father,  sir," 
she  replied  demurely.  "I  have  known  the  cap 
tain  now  for  five  years,  and  can  truly  say  I  have 
never  seen  him  show  such  vanity  and  conceit  as 
you  are  pleased  to  charge  him  with,  or  at  least  to 
say  were  once  among  his  attributes ;  and  I  will 
not  have  him  slandered,  even  by  you." 

"Very  well,  then,  let  us  change  the  subject  of 
discourse." 

"Agreed.  How  soon  do  we  leave  Annapolis 
to  pursue  our  homeward  way?" 

"A  little  after  midnight,  if  that  plan  suits 
my  wife's  wishes." 

"Entirely.  But  you  are  not  going  to  remain 
on  deck  till  then?" 

"Probably.  I  feel  no  inclination  for  sleep  at 
present,  and  the  air  outside  here  is,  as  you  re 
marked  a  moment  since,  delightful." 

"Especially  when  enjoyed  in  such  good  com 
pany,  I  presume?" 

"Yes,  that  makes  a  vast  difference,  of  course, 


280  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

yet  I  can  hardly  ask  you  to  stay  very  long  with 
me;  cannot  have  the  cruelty  to  rob  my  heart's 
best  treasure — my  young  and  lovely  wife — of 
her  beauty  sleep." 

"What  a  gallant  speech!"  she  laughed;  "it 
surely  deserves  the  reward  of  at  least  another 
half  hour  of  her  delectable  society.  Ah,  my 
best  and  dearest  of  husbands,"  she  added  in  a 
more  serious  tone,  "there  is  nothing  else  in  the 
world  I  so  keenly  enjoy  as  these  rare  times  when 
I  can  have  you  all  to  myself." 

"Yet  I  cannot  believe  they  are  ever  more  en 
joyable  to  you  than  to  me,  my  love,"  he  re- 
ttfrned;  "sweet  as  your  society  was  to  me  in  the 
days  of  our  courtship,  it  is,  I  think,  even  sweeter 
now.  And  I  hope  mine  is  not  less  enjoyable  to 
you." 

"Indeed,  no,"  she  said  earnestly;  "you  seem 
to  grow  dearer  and  more  lovable  every  day  that 
we  live  together ;  a  blessing  far,  far  beyond  my 
deserts.  Oh,  I  can  never  cease  to  marvel  that  I 
have  won  so  great  a  prize  in  the  matrimonial 
lottery." 

"It  is  wondrous  strange,"  he  returned,  with  a 
happy  laugh,  "that  a  young,  beautiful  girl,  be 
longing  to  one  of  the  very  best  families  in  the 
land,  and  who  might  have  had  her  pick  and  choice 
among  its  most  desirable  matches,  should  have 
been  able  to  secure  a  middle-aged  widower  with 
three  children.  You  may  well  wonder  at  so 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDK  281 

great  good  fortune  falling  to  your  lot,  lady 
mine,"  with  a  strong  emphasis ^upon  that  last 
word. 

"Ah,  my  husband,  you  could  hardly  bestow 
upon  me  a  sweeter  name  than  that,"  she  said 
softly,  and  with  a  bright,  winsome  look  up  into 
his  face.  "It  is  so  sweet  to  belong  to  you,  and 
to  have  you  belong  to  me.  And  then  our  dar 
ling  children  are  such  treasures." 

"Yes;  our  two  dear  babies." 

"Ah,  yes;  but  I  meant  to  include  the  others 
also ;  for  I  surely  may  claim  now  that  even  Lulu 
loves  me,  not  as  a  mother  exactly,  but  as  a  dear 
older  sister." 

"Yes,  I  am  certain  of  it,  dearest,"  he  said 
intones  expressing  heart-felt  happiness;  "she 
shows  it  in  many  ways,  and  however  many  and 
serious  her  faults  may  be,  hypocrisy  and  de 
ceit  are  not  among  them." 

"No,  indeed !  I  never  knew  anyone  more  per 
fectly  free  from  those  faults — so  perfectly  open 
and  candid.  I  am  sure  that  if  her  life  were  in 
peril  she  would  not  be  deceitful  or  untrue  in 
order  to  save  it." 

"Thank  you,  my  love,"  he  said  with  emotion. 
"I  share  that  belief,  and  it  has  been  a  great  con 
solation  to  me  when  sorely  distressed  by  her 
very  serious  faults. " 

"But  she  is  overcoming  those  under  her 
father's  wise  and  affectionate  training." 


282  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"I  think  she  is,"  he  said;  "she  is  certainly 
struggling  hard  against  them,  though  the  train 
ing  you  speak  of,  has,  I  fear,  been  far  from 
faultless." 

"Ah,  you  have  not  so  much  confidence  in  her 
father's  wisdom  as  I  have,"  returned  Violet, 
with  a  smile  and  a  look  up  into  his  face  which 
expressed  a  world  of  loving  appreciation. 

The  conversation  then  turned  upon  other 
themes  not  unsuited  to  the  sacredness  of  the 
day ;  they  seated  themselves  and  sang  a  hymn 
or  two  together,  then  Violet  went  below  and 
sought  her  berth,  to  be  followed  an  hour  later 
by  her  husband. 


CHAPTER 

THE  next  morning  the  Dolphin's  passengers, 
on  awaking,  found  her  speeding  on  her  home 
ward  way.  No  one  regretted  it,  for  all  were 
full  of  joy  at  the  thought  of  seeing  home  again, 
delightful  as  had  been  their  sojourn  at  lovely 
Viamede  and  on  the  vessel. 

It  was  still  early  in  the  day  when  they  reached 
their  wharf,  but  carriages  from  Ion,  Fairview, 
and  Woodburn  were  in  waiting,  conveyances 
for  the  luggage  also,  and  in  a  very  short  time 
they  had  left  the  city  behind,  and  were  whirl 
ing  rapidly  over  the  familiar  road  toward  the 
loved  homes  they  had  left  some  months  before — 
a  happy  company,  the  younger  ones  full  of  mirth 
and  gayety. 

The  grounds  belonging  to  each  estate  were 
looking  their  loveliest,  and  the  returning  trav 
elers  were  greeted  with  the  warmest  of  wel 
comes.  Zoe  and  Edward  had  reached  Ion  some 
days  in  advance  of  the  others,  and  seen  to  it  that 
everything  there  was  in  perfect  order,  while  at 
Woodburn  such  matters  had  received  careful 
attention  from  Christine  and  Alma. 

"Welcome  home,  my  love,"  the  captain  said 

383 


284  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

to  his  wife  as  the  carriage  turned  in  at  the 
great  gates.  "And  you  too,  my  darlings,'* 
addressing  his  children.  "Is  it  almost  as  lovely 
here  as  at  Viamede?" 

"Oh,  yes ;  yes,  indeed,  papa !"  they  responded, 
baby  Ned  adding,  "Oh,  me  so  blad  to  det  home 
adain." 

Then  a  joyous  bark  was  heard,  and  Prince, 
Max's  dog,  came  bounding  to  meet  them. 

"Ga,  dere  our  big  doggie  Prince!"  cried  Nedr 
with  a  joyous  laugh,  and  clapping  his  chubby 
hands.  "Maxie'dere  too,  papa?" 

"No,  Neddie  boy;  we  have  left  Brother 
Maxie  behind  at  Annapolis,"  answered  his 
father;  then  as  the  carriage  came  to  a  stand 
still,  he  threw  open  the  door,  exclaiming,  "Home 
at  last!"  sprang  to  the  ground,  and  proceeded 
to  hand  out  wife  and  children. 

"Yes,"  said  Violet,  who,  as  well  as  the 
children,  had  been  gazing  with  delight  upon 
the  grounds  from  the  carriage  window,  "and 
I  for  one  am  as  glad  as  I  was  to  see  Viamede  on 
our  arrival  there.  How  very  lovely  everything 
is  looking!  Ah,  Christine  and  Alma,"  as  the 
two  came  hurrying  out  to  greet  the  returned 
travellers,  "I  hope  you  are  well?  What  good 
care  you  have  taken  of  everything  in  our  ab- 
oence." 

"Thanks,  Mrs.  Raymond;  it  is  very  kind  in 
you  to  notice  it ;  and  we  are  delighted  to  see 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  285 

you  all  at  home  again,"  the  two  women  re 
turned,  smiling  with  pleasure  over  the  arrival 
and  Violet's  appreciative  words,  to  which  the 
captain  added  his  hearty  commendation,  and 
the  children  glad,  warm  greetings. 

Prince's  actions,  in  the  meantime,  told  the 
same  story  of  his  feelings;  he  was  fawning 
upon  one  and  another,  capering  about  and  wag 
ging  his  tail  with  many  a  joyous  bark  that 
seemed  to  say,  "I  am  very  glad,  very  happy  to 
see  you  all  here  again,"  and  receiving  much 
loving  stroking  and  patting  in  return. 

The  servants,  too,  came  crowding  about,  with 
smiling  faces  and  exclamations  of  joy  and  thank 
fulness.  "Bress  de  Lawd  yous  all  *afe  home 
agin!"  "We'spow'ful  glad  to  see  you,  cap'n, 
Miss  Wi'let,  an'  all  ob  de  chillens!" 

"Dis  chile  'specs  yo's  pow'ful  hungry,  Miss 
Wi'let  an'  de  res' ;  but  de  dinnah's  'mos'  ready 
fo'  to  dish  up, "  remarked  the  cook. 

"Oh,  we  are  not  starving,  by  any  means,  Aunt 
Judy,"  returned  Violet.  "We  had  an  excel 
lent  and  abundant  breakfast  on  board  the  Dol 
phin,  and  it  is  hardly  the  regular  dinner  hour 
yet." 

"And  oh,  papa,  mayn't  we  run  about  every 
where  and  look  at  everything?"  asked  Lulu 
and  Grace  half  breathlessly. 

"Certainly,  daughters,"  he  replied,  smiling 
affectionately  into  the  eager  upturned  faces, 


•286  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"though  as  dinner  is  so  nearly  ready,  I  think  it 
might  be  well  to  first  take  off  your  hats  and 
make  yourselves  neat  for  the  table ;  then  keep 
within  doors  until  after  the  meal." 

"Oh,  yes,  sir,"  cried  Lulu,  "and  there  is  no 
place  we  want  to  see  more  than  our  own  rooms. 
So  come,  Gracie,  let's  hurry  up  there.  Hark ! 
there's  my  Polly  screaming  'Lu!  Lu!'  She 
seems  to  know  I've  got  home.  Who  can  have 
told  her?  And  where's  your  kitten?" 

"Here,"  returned  Gracie;  "don't  you  see 
I've  got  her  in  my  arms?  and  I  do  believe  she's 
glad  to  see  me.  Oh,  you  pretty  pet!  I  often 
wanted  to  see  you  while  I  was  away." 

They  were  hurrying  up  the  stairs  while  they 
talked,  and  presently  reached  their  own  little 
sitting  room.  "Oh!"  they  cried  in  a  breath, 
"how  sweet  and  lovely  it  does  look!"  Then 
they  made  a  hasty  circuit  of  Lulu's  bedroom 
and  the  little  tower  room  opening  into  it,  ex 
claiming  again  and  again  at  the  beauty  of  the 
furnishings,  as  though  they  had  never  seen  them 
before,  and  the  extreme  neatness  which  attested 
the  good  housekeeping  of  Christine. 

Last  of  all  they  entered  Grace's  bedroom,  to 
find  its  appearance  quite  as  inviting  as  that  of 
the  others. 

"How  sweet  it  does  look,  Lu!"  exclaimed 
•Grace.  "Oh,  I  do  think  we  have  just  the  sweet- 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  287 

est  home,  as  well  as  the  dearest,  kindest  father  in 
the  whole  world!" 

"Of  course  we  have,"  returned  Lulu.  "I'd a 
thousand  times  rather  be  his  child  than  any 
king's  daughter." 

"Would  you,  indeed,  my  dear  child?"  asked 
a  familiar  voice  close  behind  her,  while  a  kind 
hand  was  laid  upon  each  shoulder.  "Well,  my 
darlings,  contentment  is  better  than  wealth, 
and  most  assuredly  your  father  would  not  ex 
change  you  for  any  king's  daughters,"or  the 
children  of  any  other  man." 

As  he  spoke  he  bent  down  to  press  a  fatherly 
kiss  upon  Lulu's  lips,  then  putting  an  arm  round 
Grace,  caressed  her  in  like  manner. 

"Now  make  yourselves  neat  for  the  dinner- 
table,  daughters,"  he  said,  "and  after  the  meal,, 
if  you  wish  you  may  spend  the  whole  afternoon 
in  going  over  the  house  and  grounds." 

"Oh,  thank  you,  papa,"  they  exclaimed,  look 
ing  full  of  delight. 

"Lu!  Lu!"  called  Polly  from  the  sitting 
room,  "  what  you  'bout?  Polly  wants  a  cracker. " 

"O  Polly,  I  beg  your  pardon;  but  you  have 
been  so  quiet  ever  since  I  came  in  that  I  really 
forgot  all  about  you,"  laughed  Lulu,  running 
toward  the  cage,  followed  by  her  father  and 
Grace.  "So  you  want  a  cracker,  do  you?" 

"You  shall  have  it,  Polly,"  the  captain  said, 


288  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

opening  the  door  of  a  small  cupboard  where 
things  of  that  sort  were  wont  to  be  kept.  ' '  Yes, 
here  is  a  paper  of  them,"  taking  one  out  and 
handing  it  to  the  parrot,  who  promptly  took  it 
in  one  claw,  and,  standing  on  the  other  foot,  be 
gan  biting  off  bits  and  disposing  of  them  with 
a  comically  serious  air  and  evident  ^enjoyment. 

Just  then  the  little  ones  came  running  in,  eager 
to  see  Polly  and  hear  her  talk.  But  she  was 
too  much  absorbed  with  her  cracker  to  vouch 
safe  them  a  single-word. 

"Is  mamma  ready  for  dinner,  Elsie?"  the 
captain  asked  presently. 

"Yes,  sir,"  answered  Violet's  own  voice 
from  the  doorway;  "and  there  is  the  bell." 

"Then  we  will  [go  down  at  once,"  said  the 
captain,  picking  up  Elsie  and  Ned,  and  follow 
ing  his  wife  down  the  stairs,  Lulu  and  Grace 
bringing  up  the  rear. 

The  diningroom  looked  very  attractive  as 
they  entered  it;  there  was  perfect  'neatness 
and  order,  vases  of  freshly  cut  flowers  stood 
here  and'  there,  delighting  the  senses  with  their 
beauty  and  fragrance,  and  forming  a  lovely  dec 
oration  for  the  table,  which  presented  a  most  in 
viting  appearance  thus  ornamented  and  set  out 
with  delicate  china,  snowy  damask,  and  glitter 
ing  cut  glass  and  silver  ware. 

Everyone  regarded  it  with  evident  satisfac 
tion,  Violet  saying  gayly,  "After  all,  my  dear, 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  289 

can  any  lovelier  or  better  place  be  found  than 
this — our  own  sweet  home?" 

"There  is  no  dearer  spot  on  earth  to  me,  my 
love,"  he  answered,  with  a  smile  that  spoke 
fond  affection,  and  delight  in  her  appreciation 
of  his  efforts  for  her  happiness  and  enjoy 
ment. 

"I  think  no  place  on  earth  could  be  more 
beautiful  than  Viamede,"  remarked  Lulu;  "but 
this  is  more  charming  because  it  is  our  very 
own." 

"Yes,"  chimed  in  Grace,  "papa's  and 
mamma's  and  ours.  It  is  ever  so  good  in  you, 
papa,  to  let  us  own  it  too." 

"Ah?"  he  returned  laughingly,  "but  that 
is  because  I  own  you,  you  know." 

He  had  lifted  baby  Ned  to  his  high  chair,  and 
now  all  seated  themselves  and  the  blessing  was 
asked. 

They  were  a  lively,  happy  little  dinner-party, 
the  children  allowed  a  share  in  the  conversa 
tion. 

"Papa,"  asked  Grace  at  length,  "are  we  to 
begin  lessons  to-morrow?" 

"No,"  he  replied,  "I  will  give  you  two  days 
to  run  about  and  see  everything  here,  at  Ion, 
Fairview,  the  Oaks,  and  so  forth.  Then  you 
must  settle  down  to  work  and  be  very  good  and 
industrious  if  you  want  to  be  of  the  Annapolis 
party  in  June." 


290  ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE. 

"Oh,  that  will  be  so  delightful,  papa,  and  we 
do  intend  to  be  as  good  and  industrious  as  pos 
sible!"  she  exclaimed,  Lulu  adding,  "lam  sure 
I  do,  and  if  I  should  deserve  punishment,  papa," 
she  went  on  in  an  undertone  hardly  audible  to 
anyone  but  him,  for  as  usual  she  was  seated 
close  at  his  right  hand,  "please  do  make  it  some 
thing  else  than  being  left  at  home." 

"I  have  little  fear  of  being  compelled  to  pun 
ish  you  in  that  way  or  any  other,  daughter," 
he  replied,  giving  her  a  loving  look. 

"Thank  you,  dear  papa;  it  is  so  kind  in  you 
to  say  that;  and  Gracieandldo  just  love  to  be 
long  to  you,"  raising  her  voice  a  little,  "Don't 
we,  Gracie?" 

"I  do,  I'm  sure,"  returned  Grace,  with  a  lov 
ing  smile  up  into  her  father's  face. 

"Well,  what  shall  we  do  this  afternoon?" 
queried  Violet.  "I  for  one  feel  inclined  to  go 
all  over  the  house  and  grounds,  to  look  at  every 
dear,  familiar  spot." 

"Well,  my  dear,  then  that  is  what  we  will 
do,"  responded  her  husband;  "and  the  children 
may  go  with  us  or  refrain,  as  they  please,"  with 
a  smiling  glance  from  Lulu  to  Grace,  which  both 
answered  with  an  eagerly  expressed  desire  to 
accompany  him  and  Violet;  Grace  adding, 
"But  I  do  want  to  see  Elf  and  Fairy  more  than 
anything  else." 

"Well,  dear  child,"  said  her  father,  "they 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  291 

are  disporting  themselves  out  yonder  in  the  mea 
dow,  and  you  may  run  out  to  look  at  and  pet 
them  as  soon  as  we  leave  the  table,  if  you 
wish." 

"Oh,  thank  you,  papa,  that  is  just  what  I'd 
like  to  do!"  she  replied. 

"And  I  think  all  the  rest  of  us  will  be  glad 
to  go  with  you,"  said  Violet. 

Ned,  however,  presently  began  to  nod,  and 
had  to  be  carried  away  to  his  crib  before  the 
others  were  quite  ready  to  leave  the  table. 

"I  think  Elsie,  too,  looks  as  if  she  would  en 
joy  a  nap  more  than  anything  else,"  remarked 
the  captain,  with  a  kind  look  at  his  youngest 
daughter,  who  seemed  to  be  very  nearly  nodding 
over  her  plate. 

"Oh,  no,  papa!"  she  said  straightening  up 
and  opening  her  eyes  very  wide ;  "please,  I  want 
to  see  the  ponies  first." 

"Very  well,  so  you  shall,  and  the  nap  can 
come  afterward,"  he  returned  in  an  indulgent 
tone. 

"Then,  as  we  are  all  done  eating,  shall  we 
not  go  at  once,  my  dear?"  asked  Violet. 

"I  think  it  would  be  well  to  do  so,"  he  re 
turned.  "Put  on  your  hats,  children,  and  we 
will  go." 

Elf  and  Fairy  seemed  glad  to  see  their  young 
mistresses,  who  stroked,  patted,  and  fed  them 
with  bits  of  sugar.  The  next  thing  was  to  ex- 


292  ELSIE  AT  VIANEDK 

plore  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  grounds, 
which  to  them  all  looked  lovelier  than  ever. 

Then  they  returned  to  the  house,  little  Elsie 
willingly  submitted  to  being  laid  in  her  crib, 
for  she  was  very  sleepy,  and  the  captain,  Violet, 
Lulu,  and  Grace  went  over  the  whole  house, 
finding  it  in  beautiful  order,  and  saying  to  each 
other  that  it  seemed  a  sweeter  home  than  ever. 

By  that  time  there  were  callers  from  Ion,  the 
Oaks,  Koselands,  and  the  Laurels,  those  from 
Ion  bringing  the  news  that  Grandma  Elsie  in 
vited  all  to  a  family  reunion  to  be  held  at  her 
home  on  the  afternoon  and  evening  of  the  next 
day.  An  invitation  that  every  member  of  the 
Woodburn  family  was  glad  to  accept. 

"Ah,  Brother  Levis,"  said  Rosie  coaxingly, 
"you  surely  will  not  be  so  unkind  as  to  require 
lessons  of  us  to-morrow?" 

"No,  little  sister,  to-morrow  and  the  next  day 
may  be  given  up  to  amusement ;  but  after  that 
I  shall  hope  and  expect  to  have  some  very  in 
dustrious  pupils." 

"As  you  certainly  shall,"  she  replied,  with  a 
grave,  emphatic  nod;  "I  am  glad  of  the  prom 
ised  holiday;  duly  grateful  for  it,  too,  as  I 
presume  all  your  scholars  are." 

"Yes,  yes,  indeed  we  are,  sir!"  was  the  hearty 
response  from  Evelyn  and  Walter,  Lulu  and 
Grace  adding,  "And  so  are  we,  papa." 

The  callers  left  early,  declining  an  invitation 


ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE.  293 

to  stay  to  tea ;  the  family  partook  of  their  even 
ing  meal;  Grace  and  the  little  ones,  wearied 
with  their  journey,  the  excitement  of  the  home 
coming,  and  seeing  so  much  company,  went 
early  to  bed ;  an  errand  took  the  captain  into 
the  village  for  a  short  season,  and  Violet  and 
Lulu  were  left  for  an  hour  or  more  to  each  other's 
society. 

They  were  on  the  veranda  together,  pacing 
slowly  back  and  forth,  each  with  an  arm  about 
the  other's  waist. 

"Oh,  Mamma  Vi,  isn't  it  just  delightful  to  be 
at  home  again?"  exclaimed  Lulu. 

"Yes,  indeed!  when  the  home  is  8^3h  an  one 
as  ours,  and  with  such  a  man  as  your  father  at 
the  head  of  affairs,"  returned  Violet.  "Lu 
dear,  I'm  so  glad  that  you  and  all  his  children 
love  him  as  you  do,  though  really  I  do  not  see 
how  any  one  of  you  could  help  it." 

"Nor  do  I,  Mamma  Vi ;  and  I'm  very  glad  that 
you  love  him  so  too;  that  makes  me  love  you 
even  better  than  I  could  if  you  didn't  appreciate 
him  so  highly.  But  we  can't  love  him  sp  dearly 
without  loving  one  another;  can  we?" 

"No,  certainly  not;  I  am  very  fond  of  all 
five  of  his  children  as  well  as  of  their  father," 
Violet  replied,  with  her  low,  sweet  laugh. 


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